The data also show that at least two sequential bone marrow samples for each patient must be analyzed before drawing conclusions regarding the stable persistence of BCR/ABL transcripts and the minimal residual disease status.
We have developed a competitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) titration assay that estimates the number of BCR-ABL transcripts in chronic myeloid leukemia patients to monitor minimal residual disease after bone marrow transplantation (BMT).
In this article, we discuss the difference in sensitivity of detection for MRD between the BCR-ABL fusion gene and CDRIII in Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) B-ALL, as well as the possible clinical application of this method to predict relapse and prognosis.
We investigated the persistence of host-type hematopoiesis as defined by mixed chimerism (MC) in 28 male patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) who underwent opposite sex, non-T cell-depleted bone marrow transplantation (BMT) by amplification of Y-chromosome specific sequences, and correlated these results with the detection of minimal residual disease (MRD) by BCR/ABL mRNA amplification.
The presence of typical and atypical BCR-ABL fusion genes in leukocytes of normal individuals: biologic significance and implications for the assessment of minimal residual disease.
Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (Q-RT-PCR) assessing the amount of transcripts of the BCR/ABL gene, the molecular marker of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), is the only method sensitive enough for monitoring of minimal residual disease (MRD) in CML patients after bone marrow transplantation (BMT).
Quantification of minimal residual disease in patients with BCR-ABL-positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia using quantitative competitive polymerase chain reaction.
From a clinical point of view, BCR-ABL mRNA detection has become the basis for the study of minimal residual disease in CML, particularly when a complete cytogenetic remission is achieved after interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) therapy or allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
In the prospective study, we examined hematopoietic mixed chimerism (using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of variable number of tandem repeat-VNTR sequences) and minimal residual disease (MRD) status (using qualitative and in the case of positivity quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the BCR/ABL fusion mRNA) in serial peripheral blood samples taken from 25 patients after bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).
The proposed procedure constitutes a reproducible and sensitive BCR-ABL mRNA quantification method and is suitable to monitor minimal residual disease in CML patients.
With the advent of novel therapeutics that target the structure and function of BCR-ABL, the detection of MRD may allow for targeted therapy that could abort a potential relapse.
PCR for the BCR/ABL fusion transcript provides a highly sensitive and specific method for detecting minimal residual disease in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).
The results show that TD-FISH effectively discriminates between cells with overlapping BCR and ABL signals from cells with true BCR/ABL fusion and improves the ability to quantify minimal residual disease from >23% to >1% of 500 interphase nuclei.
We point out firstly on the cytogenetic aberrations, supporting the hypothesis of multi-lineage involvement of ALL expressing Ph chromosome; secondly, on the persistence of T-cell leukemic clone detected by minimal residual disease (MRD) analysis, despite of the early disappearance of BCR-ABL fusion transcript.
In patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) mutations of the BCR-ABL kinase domain (KD) have been identified as the leading cause of acquired resistance to imatinib, while the mechanisms underlying the persistence of minimal residual disease (MRD) are unknown.
In search for general PCR targets for minimal residual disease (MRD) studies in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), Wilms' tumor gene 1 (WT1) expression was assessed by real-time RT-PCR relative to the control gene ABL in 569 archived samples of AML patients (pts).
We prospectively evaluated minimal residual disease (MRD) by measuring BCR/ ABL levels with a quantitative real-time PCR procedure after induction and after consolidation in 45 adults with Ph+ ALL who obtained complete hematological remission after a high-dose daunorubicin induction schedule.
Given the high rates of clinical and cytogenetic remission achieved, the molecular monitoring of BCR-ABL transcript levels by RT-qPCR has become always more important to assess minimal residual disease.
In the present study, 79 BCR/ABL transcript-positive samples from CML patients who were being monitored for minimal residual disease by real-time quantitative RT-PCR were studied to determine whether the 2-DeltaDeltaCt approach was equivalent to the plasmid standard curve method.
We evaluated the potential for early minimal residual disease (MRD) BCR-ABL quantification to predict relapse of CML patients receiving allogeneic SCT.
MRD was evaluated by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR) using probes derived from fusion chimeric genes (BCR/ABL and MLL/AF4) (n=22) or rearrangements of the T-cell receptor or immunoglobulin genes (n=21).