Monitoring minimal residual disease with flow cytometry, antigen-receptor gene rearrangements and fusion transcript quantification in Philadelphia-positive childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
In this study, we followed minimal residual disease (MRD) in eight children with Philadelphia-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL) using (i) flow cytometry (FCM), (ii) real-time quantitative PCR of IG/TCR gene rearrangements and (iii) RT-PCR detecting fusion gene transcripts. In six of the eight cases the kinetics of MRD clearance was comparable. One of the two discordant cases could be explained by presence of an alternative fusion transcript. The other discordant case showed high BCR-ABL1 RNA level while the other methods did not detect any MRD. In our limited material quantitative RT-PCR of fusion gene transcripts seemed particularly useful to measure MRD in Ph+ ALL. However, BCR-ABL1 expression may not reflect the percentage of leukemic cells as FCM and IG/TCR rearrangement quantification do, and these methods are thus complementary.
Thörn
Ingrid
I
Department of Genetics and Pathology, Rudbeck Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. ingrid.thorn@genpat.uu.se
Botling
Johan
J
Hermansson
Monica
M
Lönnerholm
Gudmar
G
Sundström
Christer
C
Rosenquist
Richard
R
Barbany
Gisela
G
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods*; D015973:Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic; D015329:Gene Rearrangement, T-Lymphocyte; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual; D010677:Philadelphia Chromosome; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D016315:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-abl / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D016315:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-abl