title: Thymidine Kinase: A Biomarker for Recently Diagnosed Acute Leukemia in Pediatric Patients According to the Cell Line Involved.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Acute leukemia (AL) is a heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by a disorganized clone proliferation of hematopoietic cells. Thymidine kinase (TK) is a cell enzyme involved in DNA synthesis and is considered a cellular proliferation marker in some solid tumors.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional prospective and comparative study was performed in the Federico Gomez Children's Hospital in Mexico (HIMFG, in Spanish) in 125 samples of patients of the HIMFG with AL and 138 samples of children without leukemia. Serum TK levels were determined for both groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the children with AL, 90 presented B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL); 13, T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL); and 22, acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A median (m) TK level of 23.7 IU (IQR 17-35.7) was observed in the group without AL and 91 IU (IQR 98-392) in the AL group. This difference was statistically significant (p <0.0001). When analyzing TK levels according to the type of leukemia, the m was as follows: 68 IU (IQR 35-118) for B-ALL, 470 IU (IQR 88-750) for AML, and 1678 IU (IQR 288-2108) for T- ALL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TK is an enzyme showing heterogeneous levels in B-ALL although it is significantly increased in 90% of patients with T-ALL and AML.
authors.affiliation: Division of Auxiliary Diagnostic Services, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, México, D.F., México.
authors.forename: Briceida
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: López-Martínez
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, México, D.F., México.
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vilchis Ordoñez
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratory in Developmental Biology and Experimental Teratogenesis, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, México, D.F., México.
authors.forename: Marcela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salazar Garcia
authors.affiliation: Research Department in Community Health, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, México, D.F., México.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Klünder-Klünder
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, México, D.F., México.
authors.forename: Israel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Parra-Ortega
authors.affiliation: Hematology-Oncology Department, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, México, D.F., México.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dorantes-Acosta
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, México, D.F., México. Electronic address: tania.angeles@yahoo.com.mx.
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Angeles-Floriano
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D054218:Precursor T-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013937:Thymidine Kinase / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D013937:Thymidine Kinase
keywords: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL); Acute myeloid leukemia (AML); Deoxythymidine triphosphate (dTTP); Reference values (RVs); Thymidine kinase 1 (TK1)