Flow cytometric identification of 76 patients with biclonal disease among 5523 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) and its genetic characterization.
Multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC) identifies rare cases of biclonal disease in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). By MFC, we identified 76 patients with biclonal disease in a cohort of 5523 CLL patients (1·4%). Fluorescence in situ hybridization and chromosome banding analysis revealed five and six cases, respectively, with two different cytogenetic aberrations due to clonal evolution. Two different B-cell receptor rearrangements and IGHV subtypes were more frequent in biclonal than in monoclonal CLL by MFC (37·1% vs. 2·7%; P < 0·001). Patients with biclonal CLL by MFC showed a trend to a shorter time to treatment than monoclonal CLL (P = 0·080).
MLL Munich Leukaemia Laboratory, Munich, Germany.
Wolfgang
W
Kern
Ulrike
U
Bacher
Susanne
S
Schnittger
Frank
F
Dicker
Tamara
T
Alpermann
Torsten
T
Haferlach
Claudia
C
Haferlach
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002871:Chromosome Banding; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult
Biclonal chronic lymphocytic leukaemia; IGHV mutation analysis; chromosome banding analysis; interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization; multiparameter flow cytometry