[Clinical and biological characteristics in childhood acute myeloid leukemia with 8;21 translocation].

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate the clinical and biological characteristics of childhood acute myeloid leukemia(AML)with 8;21 translocation.

METHODS:

A retrospective analysis including clinical information, cell morphology, chromosome, immunophenotype and molecular biology was performed on 41 cases of childhood t(8;21)AML. The control group included 19 cases of AML without t(8;21) translocation detected during the same period.

RESULTS:

The 41 cases of t(8;21)AML accounted for 68.3% of 60 continuous childhood AML patients. Among them, classical t(8;21) translocation was seen in 29 cases; variant t(8;21) translocation, simple 8q-, near-tetraploidy characterized by the duplication of t(8;21) translocation each came into view in 2 cases; and cryptic t(8;21) translocation was seen in 6 cases. Thirty seven cases (80.4%) belonged to M2 subtype of AML. Most of them had the morphological changes such as the leukemia cells' indent nucleus with a light stain region of perinucleus, basophilic cytoplasm, differentiation with maturation, megaloblastoid changes and nuclear-cytoplasm imbalance; the high expression of CD13 antigen; and the AML1/ETO fusion transcript in 23 cases examined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay, including 6 cases with normal karyotype. The difference in complete remission rate between t(8;21) positive patients group and t(8;21) negative patients group was not significant in statistics (82.4% vs 75%, P>0.05). However the difference in recurring rate of the leukemia was statistically significant (10.7% vs 41.7%, P<0.05).

CONCLUSION:

t(8;21)AML is the most frequent type of childhood AML. It is predominantly associated with M2 subtype of AML and has unique morphological, immunological prognostic features .

• Authors: Jun He, Yongquan Xue, Hailong He, Jianqin Li, Xiaoxiang Song, Yiping Huang, Yaxiang He, Xuelan Zhang, Yihuan Chai, Lingli Zhu
• Journal: Zhonghua yi xue yi chuan xue za zhi = Zhonghua yixue yichuanxue zazhi = Chinese journal of medical genetics (Zhonghua Yi Xue Yi Chuan Xue Za Zhi) Vol. 21 Issue 5 Pg. 512-4 (Oct 2004) ISSN: 1003-9406 [Print] China
• PMID: 15476184 (Publication Type: English Abstract, Journal Article)

Topics

• Acute Disease
• Adolescent
• Child
• Child, Preschool
• Chromosomes, Human, Pair 21 (genetics)
• Chromosomes, Human, Pair 8 (genetics)
• Female
• Humans
• Karyotyping
• Leukemia, Myeloid (genetics, pathology)
• Male
• Retrospective Studies
• Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
• Translocation, Genetic