title: PRAME gene expression in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: impact on prognosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The PRAME (preferentially expressed antigen of melanoma) gene is frequently overexpressed in a wide variety of malignant diseases, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute B-cell malignancies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study the expression of PRAME gene and clarify its prognostic impact on disease outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Screening for PRAME gene expression was assessed using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in 55 pretreated ALL bone marrow samples.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PRAME positivity was found in 14 (31.3%) of 45 patients. No significant correlation could be observed between PRAME expression and clinical characteristics. Positive PRAME expressers had a statistically higher CR (p = 0.001), lower relapse (p = 0.02), lower mortality (p < 0.001), a trend towards lower Refractory disease (p = 0.10), and a statistically longer DFS and OS (p < 0.001, < 0.001, respectively) in comparison to negative PRAME expressers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggested that PRAME was a predictor for better outcome, could be a useful target for immunotherapy, and might represent a candidate marker for the monitoring of minimal residual disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Egypt.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Abdelmalak
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Egypt.
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Yahya
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pathology, Hematology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Egypt.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Elghannam
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pathology, Hematology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Egypt.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: El-Khadragy
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pathology, Hematology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Egypt.
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Abd El Messih
mesh_terms: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002648:Child; D017931:DNA Primers; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D017931:DNA Primers; C404944:PRAME protein, human