Using RT-PCR, we amplified multiple different isoforms of AF10-CALM and CALM-AF10 fusion cDNAs from a primary T cell ALL containing a t(10;11)(p13-14;q14-21).
Previous studies using mainly fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis have shown that the CALM/AF10 rearrangement is found in immature acute myeloid leukemia (AML) of subtype M0 and M1 and in T cell ALL.
CALM-AF10 therefore identifies a poor prognostic group within sCD3/T-cell receptor negative adult T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias and is over-represented within early T-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemias, in which it identifies patients in whom treatment is likely to fail.