title: Minimal residual disease in leukaemia patients.
abstract: Because of developments in diagnosis of haemopoietic malignant diseases during the past two decades, routine and reliable identification of very low numbers of malignant cells, known as minimal residual disease (MRD), is now possible. Several large-scale studies have shown that monitoring of MRD in haemopoietic malignant disease predicts clinical outcome. In acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, MRD detection is useful for evaluating early response to treatment and consequently for improving stratification, including treatment reduction. In acute promyelocytic leukaemia and chronic myeloid leukaemia, MRD information at specific time points enables effective early treatment intervention. MRD monitoring is also possible in other leukaemia subtypes, but in these disorders the clinical value of MRD detection is not yet known.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, University Hospital Rotterdam/Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Szczepański
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Orfão
authors.forename: V H
authors.initials: VH
authors.lastname: van der Velden
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: San Miguel
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: van Dongen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping / Q000379:methods*; D007938:Leukemia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity