title: TEL-AML1 frequency in multi-ethnic Malaysian pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
abstract: Eighty-eight multi-ethnic Malaysian pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients were screened for the TEL-AML1 rearrangement by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used as an independent screen for 30 cases and to confirm RT-PCR positive cases. Seventeen patients, or 19%, were found to be t(12;21) positive. Ethnically the group comprised 12 Malays, 4 Chinese, and 1 Indian. All patients, including 1 with an unusual blast cell morphology who suffered an early relapse and death, were characteristic TEL-AML1 cases in cell count, age, ALL subset classification, and fusion transcript expressed. This study shows that in Malaysia, TEL-AML1 is found in the same distinct ALL subset and at a similar frequency as in other diverse childhood ALL cohorts.
authors.affiliation: Allergy & Immunology Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, Jalan Pahang, 50588 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. gilhk@imr.gov.my
authors.forename: Harvindar Kaur
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Gill
authors.forename: Ten Sew
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Keoh
authors.forename: Jasbir Singh
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Dhaliwal
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Tan Sew
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Roshida
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.forename: Faraiza Abdul
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Karim
authors.forename: Zubaidah
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zakaria
authors.forename: Shahnaz
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Murad
authors.forename: Mahfuzah
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mohamed
authors.forename: Caroline Mei
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Li Ho
authors.forename: Hishamshah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.forename: Eni Juraida Abdul
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Rahman
mesh_terms: D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D050676:Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007194:India / Q000208:ethnology; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion / Q000235:genetics*; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D000097764:ETS Translocation Variant 6 Protein
chemical_list: D050676:Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion; C102421:TEL-AML1 fusion protein; D000097764:ETS Translocation Variant 6 Protein