title: Clinical features of the most common fusion genes in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
abstract: Contemporary protocols ensure high-remission rate and long-term free survival in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), but small percentage of patients is still incurable. Molecular genetic methods helped to establish submicroscopic classification as well as minimal residual disease follow-up, considered to be responsible for relapse. Our study enrolled 70 pediatric patients with de novo ALL, analyzed using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction for the presence of four major risk-stratifying translocations (BCR/ABL, MLL/AF4, TEL/AML1, and E2A/PBX1). Bone marrow samples were collected at diagnosis, at the end of induction phase, and after intensive chemotherapy with the aim to establish the correlation between chromosomal aberration, clinical features, and treatment response. Presenting the results of this study, we offer another evidence of variable incidence and clinical characteristics of ALL subtypes.
authors.affiliation: Department for Hematology and Oncology, University Children's Hospital, Tirsova 10, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lazic
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tosic
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dokmanovic
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Krstovski
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rodic
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pavlovic
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Janic
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D014178:Translocation, Genetic
chemical_list: D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion