title: Hematogones: a new prognostic factor for acute myeloblastic leukemia.
abstract: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patient outcomes remain heterogeneous, and new prognostic tools are needed to assess the risk of relapse. Hematogones (HGs) are normal B-lymphocyte precursors, which increase in number in hematologic diseases. The prognostic impact of the presence of detectable HGs on the leukemia-free survival (LFS) and overall survival of 120 consecutive patients with AML in first complete remission was investigated by flow cytometry. Patients who had HG levels more than 0.01% had a significantly better median LFS (29.2 vs 11.7 months; P = .001) and overall survival (not reached vs 23.5 months; P = .011). According to Cox analysis, an HG level more than 0.01% was an independent predictor of LFS (hazard ratio = 0.5; 95% confidence interval, 0.28-0.90, P < .03) when age, leukocytosis, the number of chemotherapy cycles, and the standardized cytogenetic and molecular risk subgroups were controlled for. These results indicate that HG analysis may help to define the risk of relapse in AML patients.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Hématologie Clinique, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Côte de Nacre, Caen Cedex, France. chantepie-s@chu-caen.fr
authors.forename: Sylvain P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Chantepie
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Salaün
authors.forename: Jean-Jacques
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Parienti
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Truquet
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Macro
authors.forename: Stephane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cheze
authors.forename: Jean Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Vilque
authors.forename: Oumedaly
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Reman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D006403:Hematologic Tests / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D054448:Precursor Cells, B-Lymphoid / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012008:Recurrence; D012074:Remission Induction; D016019:Survival Analysis