Karyotype abnormalities and their clinical significance in blast crisis of chronic myeloid leukemia.
We examined karyotypes and their prognostic significance in a series of 122 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in blast crisis. Of 73 patients cytogenetically examined at the onset of blast crisis 63% had developed secondary cytogenetic abnormalities in addition to the Philadelphia chromosome. These newly emerging abnormalities included a double Philadelphia chromosome in 20 patients, a trisomy 8 in 17, and an isochromosome 17q in 11 patients. Development of such additional karyotypic abnormalities was significantly associated with a shorter median survival and less response to cytoreductive treatment and was significantly more common in nonlymphoid blast crisis than in the lymphoid-type blast crisis. Thus, assessment of karyotypes at the onset of chronic myeloid leukemia blast crisis appears to be of prognostic significance for both remission duration and survival.
Griesshammer
M
M
Department of Internal Medicine III, University of Ulm, Germany.
Heinze
B
B
Bangerter
M
M
Heimpel
H
H
Fliedner
T M
TM
D001752:Blast Crisis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D025063:Chromosome Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007621:Karyotyping; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010677:Philadelphia Chromosome; D011379:Prognosis