title: Quantitative detection of bcr-abl transcripts in chronic myeloid leukemia.
abstract: The optimal management of malignant haematological disorders depend on the degree of tumor load reduction after therapy. Chronic myeloid leukemia constitutes a clinical model for molecular detection and therapy surveillance of malignant disease since this entity was the first leukemia shown to be associated with a specific bcr-abl fusion gene in the patient's leukemia cells. Molecular monitoring of bcr-abl transcript levels by real-time quantitative PCR is increasingly used to assess treatment response in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). This has become particularly relevant in the era of imatinib therapy when residual levels of leukaemia usually fall below the level of detection by bone marrow cytogenetic analysis. We monitored bcr-abl transcript levels by quantitative real time PCR in 50 tunisian patients treated with imatinib for chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase for a median of 29 months (3-60) after they started imatinib.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'hématologie moléculaire et cellulaire, institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia. samia.menif@rns.tn
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Menif
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zarrouki
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jeddi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: ben Alaya
authors.forename: Z BelHadj
authors.initials: ZB
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ben Abid
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hdeiji
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elloumi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khlif
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Meddeb
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dellagi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001549:Benzamides; D003199:Computer Systems; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D000068877:Imatinib Mesylate; D015466:Leukemia, Myeloid, Chronic-Phase / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual; D010879:Piperazines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis*; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000097:blood*; D047368:Tumor Burden; D014416:Tunisia
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001549:Benzamides; D010879:Piperazines; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D011743:Pyrimidines; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D000068877:Imatinib Mesylate; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl