title: [Detection of minimal residual disease in childhood hematological malignancies and its clinical significance].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Exploring the detection of minimal residual malignant cells in bone marrow from children with hematological malignancies to predict the prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-five patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), stage IV non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or stage IV neuroblastoma were studied. Complete remission was maintained for over 3 months before the detection. Minimal residual disease was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for IgH and TcRgamma rearrangements in lymphoid tumors by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for neuroblastoma patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty five patients were positive for minimal residual disease, and 21 of them (60%) relapsed 3 - 40 months later, while only 7 (17%) negative patients relapsed (chi(2) = 12.59, P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Minimal residual disease detection in bone marrow by PCR might predict prognosis in some childhood hematological malignancies.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ran
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wei
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D019046:Bone Marrow Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000175:diagnosis; D012008:Recurrence