Deletions at 11q identify a subset of patients with typical CLL who show consistent disease progression and reduced survival.
Eighty-four patients with typical chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) (by morphological and immunophenotypic criteria) on whom karyotypes were available were studied. Binet stage at diagnosis and follow-up were defined. Survival was calculated from diagnosis. Fifty-one percent of patients had a karyotypic abnormality, the commonest being abnormalities at 13q14 (16%); these patients did not have significantly different survival from patients with normal karyotype. The second commonest abnormality was del(11q) (13%); these patients had significantly worse survival when compared both with patients with normal karyotype (P < 0.0001) and with other patients with karyotypic abnormality (P = 0.0012). All patients with del(11q) had progressed to stage C at follow-up while only 20% of the other patients had shown any disease progression (P < 0.0001). Del(11q) may identify a subset of patients with typical CLL who have worse survival and consistent disease progression and in future may help define a group of patients with CLL who could benefit from earlier or more intensive therapy.
Neilson
J R
JR
Department of Haematology, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, UK.
Auer
R
R
White
D
D
Bienz
N
N
Waters
J J
JJ
Whittaker
J A
JA
Milligan
D W
DW
Fegan
C D
CD
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D002872:Chromosome Deletion; D025063:Chromosome Disorders; D002880:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 11 / Q000235:genetics*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate