BCR-ABL transcripts in bone marrow aspirates of Philadelphia-negative essential thrombocytopenia patients: clinical presentation.
One of the diagnostic criteria of essential thrombocythemia (ET) is the absence of the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph-neg). On the molecular level, Ph-neg ET patients may carry BCR-ABL transcript. The natural history of BCR-ABL positive Ph-neg ET patients is undetermined. We examined the BCR-ABL status by reverse transcriptase two-step nested polymerase chain reaction in bone marrow aspirates of 25 Ph-neg ET patients. We found 12 BCR-ABL positive and 13 BCR-ABL negative patients in the study group. The comparison showed that the two groups had similar clinical and laboratory characteristics, except for a significant increased patients' age and decreased polymorphonuclear cell count in the BCR-ABL positive group. During a median follow-up of 20 and 22.5 months for the BCR-ABL negative and positive groups, respectively, there was neither blastic transformation nor unrelated death in both groups. We conclude that it is important to look for BCR-ABL transcript in Ph-neg ET patients and to follow them closely to investigate the nature of this translocation in this group of patients.
Blickstein
D
D
Division of Hematology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petah-Tikva, Israel.
Aviram
A
A
Luboshitz
J
J
Prokocimer
M
M
Stark
P
P
Bairey
O
O
Sulkes
J
J
Shaklai
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001752:Blast Crisis; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology*; D003582:Cytogenetics / Q000379:methods; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010677:Philadelphia Chromosome; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D013920:Thrombocythemia, Essential / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl