title: Frequency of p190 and p210 BCR-ABL rearrangements and survival in Brazilian adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated the occurrence of the p190 and p210 breakpoint cluster region-Abelson (BCR-ABL) rearrangements in adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and possible associations with clinical and laboratory characteristics and survival.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-one over 18-year-old patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia of both genders followed-up between January 2008 and May 2012 were included in this study. Clinical and laboratory data were obtained from the medical charts of the patients. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using specific primers was employed to identify molecular rearrangements.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At diagnosis, the median age was 33 years, and there was a predominance of males (61%). The most common immunophenotype was B lineage (76%). BCR-ABL rearrangements was detected in 14 (34%) patients with the following distribution: p190 (28%), p210 (50%) and double positive (22%). Overall survival of patients with a mean/median of 331/246 days of follow up was 39%, respectively, negative BCR-ABL (44%) and positive BCR-ABL (28%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results confirm the high frequency of BCR-ABL rearrangements and the low survival rate of adult Brazilian patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
authors.affiliation: Fundação de Hematologia e Hemoterapia de Pernambuco (HEMOPE), Recife, PE, Brazil. Electronic address: ilanafranca87@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ilana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: de França Azevedo
authors.affiliation: Fundação de Hematologia e Hemoterapia de Pernambuco (HEMOPE), Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rui Milton Patrício
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: da Silva Júnior
authors.affiliation: Fundação de Hematologia e Hemoterapia de Pernambuco (HEMOPE), Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Audrey Violeta Martins
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: de Vasconcelos
authors.affiliation: Fundação de Hematologia e Hemoterapia de Pernambuco (HEMOPE), Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Washington Batista
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: das Neves
authors.affiliation: Fundação de Hematologia e Hemoterapia de Pernambuco (HEMOPE), Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fárida Coeli
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: de Barros Correia Melo
authors.affiliation: Fundação de Hematologia e Hemoterapia de Pernambuco (HEMOPE), Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Raul Antônio Morais
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Melo
keywords: Acute biphenotypic leukemia; Adult; BCR-ABL; Survival analysis