title: Quantitation of minimal residual disease in t(8;21)-positive acute myelogenous leukemia patients using real-time quantitative RT-PCR.
abstract: t(8;21) is one of the common chromosomal translocations in acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Using a recently developed real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system, we analyzed the minimal residual disease (MRD) in bone marrow samples from seven AML patients with t(8;21) at different time points during the clinical courses of their disease. Four of these patients received chemotherapy and allogenic bone marrow transplantation (allo-BMT), and the other three were treated with chemotherapy alone. Two of the patients that received allo-BMT suffered a relapse. In these patients, the levels of AML1-MTG8 mRNA expression were shown to quantitatively increase. After re-induction chemotherapy and donor lymphocyte infusion therapy, AML went into remission and the expression levels decreased. In the other two patients receiving allo-BMT, the disease went into remission and the level of AML1-MTG8 mRNA expression remained under the detectable range. The other three patients received several courses of chemotherapy, without allo-BMT, and all of them clinically reached the hematological and cytogenetic remission state. However, there were low but detectable levels of MRD in their bone marrow samples. These results suggest that the real-time quantitative PCR assay is very useful for the monitoring of MRD and detecting an early relapse. This assay may also be useful in determining the quantitative difference in myelo-ablative activity between the chemotherapy alone and chemotherapy in conjunction with allo-BMT.
authors.affiliation: Hyogo Institute of Clinical Research, Akashi, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sugimoto
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Imoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Murayama
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gomyo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chakraborty
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Isobe
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koizumi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002891:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 21; D002898:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 8; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003199:Computer Systems; D050676:Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D000075142:RUNX1 Translocation Partner 1 Protein; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics; D014178:Translocation, Genetic; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
chemical_list: C107844:AML1-ETO fusion protein, human; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D050676:Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D000075142:RUNX1 Translocation Partner 1 Protein; D014157:Transcription Factors