Incidence and prognostic importance of molecular genetic defects in children with acute myeloblastic leukemia.

INTRODUCTION Acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) accounts for 15 to 25 percent of childhood acute leukemias. The most common genetic abnormalities seen in pediatric AML patients are AML1-ETO, PML-RARα and CBFB-MYH11 genes resulting in t(8;21), t(15;17) and inv(16). These genetic defects are seen in approximately 20-25% of AML patients. OBJECTIVE We investigated in this study, incidence and prognostic significance of the AML1-ETO, PML-RARα and CBFB-MYH11 genes in children with AML. MATERIALS AND METHODS The authors analyzed 34 children with AML using the real time-polymerase chain reaction for AML1-ETO, PML-RARα and CBFB-MYH11 genes. RESULTS Of the patients, 8.8% were positive for t(8;21), 8.8% for t(15;17) and 3% for inv(16). There were a statistically significant differences between 48 month overall survival rates of the patients positive and negative for t(8;21), t(15;17) and inv(16). CONCLUSION It was concluded that t(15;17), t(8;21) and inv(16) impact on disease prognosis positively, but comprehensive studies with larger patient series are now needed for confirmation.