Undifferentiated immunophenotypes and not expression of BCR-ABL can be associated in adult Mestizo Mexican patients with ALL.
BACKGROUND
The BCR-ABL t(9;22)(q34;q11) translocation has been identified as a risk factor in de novo acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), but there are other factors that may influence survival in patients not expressing this translocation.


OBJECTIVE
To associate expression and non-expression of BCR-ABL with immunophenotype and other clinical features in adult patients with ALL from a Mexican mestizo population. MATERIAL AND METHODS; Peripheral blood samples from 35 adult patients with de novo ALL were used to detect BCR-ABL by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) as well as immunophenotype by flow cytometry.


RESULTS
In the group of BCR-ABL negative patients (74.28%) two subgroups were identified with the immature immunophenotypes CD34+/CD33+ and/or CD13+, and CD10-/CD34+. In the group of BCR-ABL positive patients (25.72%) leukemic blast cells with a more differentiated immunophenotype compared to the BCR-ABL negative group were found. As regards clinical and biological characteristics, we found survival in months to be very similar and a tendency to high initial leukocyte counts in both groups.


CONCLUSIONS
This is the first study conducted on a Mexican mestizo population to report that BCR-ABL negative patients can present a high frequency of undifferentiated immunophenotypes and must therefore be considered as vulnerable as BCR-ABL positive patients.
Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, México, DF.
José Erasmo
JE
Vázquez-Franco
Elba
E
Reyes-Maldonado
Laura Arcelia
LA
Montiel-Cervantes
Ruth Angélica
RA
Lezama
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl / Q000032:analysis*; D015973:Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000737:chemistry; D010677:Philadelphia Chromosome; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000145:classification / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality; D011379:Prognosis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D015703:Antigens, CD; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl