Near-tetraploidy in childhood B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a highly specific feature of ETV6/RUNX1-positive leukemic cases.
Near-tetraploidy (82-94 chromosomes) makes up fewer than 1% of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cases and has been reportedly associated with a possibly poorer prognosis compared with other ploidy groups. We analyzed 783 patients enrolled in the ALL-BFM-Austria 86, -90, -95, -99/2000 and Interfant-Austria 99 trials in order to assess its incidence, biological characteristics, and prognostic relevance. Twelve of 783 patients (1.5%) had a near-tetraploid ALL. Fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed that eight of the nine B-cell precursor (BCP) cases and none of the three T-cell ALL cases had an ETV6/RUNX1 rearrangement. After a median follow-up of 11.4 years, none of the patients has relapsed or died. Thus, near-tetraploidy appears to be a specific feature of ETV6/RUNX1+ BCP ALL cases that in turn may explain its excellent outcome.
St. Anna Children's Hospital, Vienna, Austria.
Andishe
A
Attarbaschi
Georg
G
Mann
Margit
M
König
Manuel
M
Steiner
Michael N
MN
Dworzak
Helmut
H
Gadner
Oskar A
OA
Haas
D000293:Adolescent; D001317:Austria; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D050676:Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D020732:Cytogenetic Analysis; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D011123:Polyploidy; D015452:Precursor B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D050783:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ets / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D000097764:ETS Translocation Variant 6 Protein
D050676:Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit; D050783:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ets; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D000097764:ETS Translocation Variant 6 Protein