title: High serum thymidine kinase 1 level predicts poorer survival in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
abstract: Serum thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) levels have been reported to have prognostic significance in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Until recently, serum TK1 levels were assessed using inconvenient radioenzyme assays. In this study, we used a novel chemiluminescence assay to assess serum TK1 levels in patients with CLL at the time of first examination. We show that high serum TK1 levels predict poorer overall survival and correlate with unmutated immunoglobulin variable region genes, CD38 and ZAP-70 expression, and subsequent risk of developing large B-cell lymphoma (Richter syndrome). Similar findings were observed in a subset of patients treated with current fludarabine-based chemotherapy regimens. We suggest that serum TK1 levels analyzed using this convenient chemiluminescence assay may be useful in the risk assessment of patients with CLL.
authors: Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors: Sergej N
authors: SN
authors: Konoplev
authors: Herbert A
authors: HA
authors: Fritsche
authors: Susan
authors: S
authors: O'Brien
authors: William G
authors: WG
authors: Wierda
authors: Michael J
authors: MJ
authors: Keating
authors: Terrie G
authors: TG
authors: Gornet
authors: Susan
authors: S
authors: St Romain
authors: Xuemei
authors: X
authors: Wang
authors: Kedar
authors: K
authors: Inamdar
authors: Malisha R
authors: MR
authors: Johnson
authors: L Jeffrey
authors: LJ
authors: Medeiros
authors: Carlos E
authors: CE
authors: Bueso-Ramos
mesh_terms: D051997:ADP-ribosyl Cyclase 1 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood; D004796:Clinical Enzyme Tests; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000235:genetics; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D013534:Survival; D013937:Thymidine Kinase / Q000097:blood*; D051746:ZAP-70 Protein-Tyrosine Kinase / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D013937:Thymidine Kinase; C092717:thymidine kinase 1; D051746:ZAP-70 Protein-Tyrosine Kinase; D051997:ADP-ribosyl Cyclase 1