Disappearance of AML1-MTG8 transcript by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in a patient in remission of acute myeloid leukemia (M2) after low-dose cytosine arabinoside.
It is well-known that low dose cytosine arabinoside (LDAC) has activity in elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Several studies have shown that AML patients with t(8;21) in long term complete remission (CR) following intensive chemotherapy or allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) still have persistence of AML1-MTG8 transcripts by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. We report here a patient who has no evidence of residual disease detectable by RT-PCR after LDAC. A 69-year-old patient did not obtain CR after two courses of intensive chemotherapy with behenoyl-ara-C, daunorubicin, 6-mercaptopurine and prednisolone. He received subcutaneous LDAC 10 mg every 12 h and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) for 29 days and achieved CR. He continued on a 21 to 28-day course of LDAC without G-CSF every 2 or 3 months and has remained well and in CR for 5 years without chimeric AMLI-MTG8 transcript by RT-PCR. LDAC therapy seems to be effective in eradicating the leukemic clone as post-induction or maintenance therapy in this patient. This is the first case report of the disappearance of AML1-MTG8 transcript by RT-PCR in a patient with t(8;21) in long-term remission after LDAC.
Sawada
H
H
Department of Hematology, Kokura Memorial Hospital, Kitakyushu, Japan.
Serino
Y
Y
Wake
A
A
Yamasaki
Y
Y
Izumi
Y
Y
D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D002891:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 21; D002898:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 8; D050676:Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007951:Leukemia, Myeloid / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics*; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase; D000075142:RUNX1 Translocation Partner 1 Protein; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D012074:Remission Induction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D014178:Translocation, Genetic
C107844:AML1-ETO fusion protein, human; D050676:Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D000075142:RUNX1 Translocation Partner 1 Protein; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D003561:Cytarabine; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase