Premium
Clinical relevance of residual disease monitoring by polymerase chain reaction in patients with ALL‐1/AF‐4 positive‐acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
Author(s) -
Cimino Giuseppe,
Elia Loredana,
Rivolta Anna,
Rapanotti Maria Cristina,
Rossi Vincenzo,
Alimena Giuliana,
Annino Luciana,
Canaani Eli,
Lo Coco Francesco,
Biondi Andrea
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
british journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.907
H-Index - 186
eISSN - 1365-2141
pISSN - 0007-1048
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2141.1996.373909.x
Subject(s) - minimal residual disease , medicine , clinical significance , gastroenterology , polymerase chain reaction , disease , bone marrow , chemotherapy , reverse transcriptase , pediatrics , biology , biochemistry , gene
In this study we used reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) for the longitudinal monitoring of minimal residual disease in 12 patients with ALL‐1/AF‐4 positive ALL. Of these, seven also showed at presentation a typical t(4;11) cytogenetic translocation. Seven patients were infants <18 months of age and five were adults. Eleven patients were treated with high‐dose intensive induction and consolidation chemotherapy without bone marrow transplantation and one received conservative treatment due to poor performance status. Three had resistant disease, four relapsed within 12 months after achieving complete remission, and five are in continuous complete remission (CCR) at 32, 39, 52, 53 and 61 months from diagnosis, respectively. The sequential analysis of the ALL‐1/AF‐4 hybrid transcript showed a persistently negative RT‐PCR in the five CCR long‐term survivors. The PCR analysis resulted persistently positive in the remaining seven cases, including the four cases who relapsed after the achievement of clinical CR. These data emphasize the clinical relevance of PCR monitoring analysis in t(4;11) ALL patients and should be considered in order to better determine variable post‐remission treatment according to risk prediction.