Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0023467 (acute myeloid leukemia)
 35,200 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

WT1 (Wilms tumor gene) expression is a new tumor marker of leukemic blast cells of AML, ALL, and CML. Minimal residual disease (MRD) of leukemia can be detected at frequencies as low as 1 in 10(3) to 10(4) normal bone marrow (BM) cells and 1 in 10(5) normal peripheral blood (PB) cells by means of the quantitation of expression levels of the WT1 gene using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). This is regardless of the types of leukemia or the presence or absence of tumor-specific DNA markers. Thus, the WT1 assay makes it possible to rapidly assess the effectiveness of treatment and to evaluate the degree of eradication of leukemic cells in individual leukemia patients. Moreover, molecular relapse using PCR can be diagnosed by the monitoring of WT1 expression levels in BM or PB 1-24 months (means, 7 months for BM and 8 months for PB) before the clinical relapse became apparent. In case of rapid or gradual increase in WT1 expression levels to or over 10(-2) after return to normal BM levels during CR; or retention of the WTI expression at levels near or over 10(-2) in BM without return to normal BM levels even in CR (WT1 expression level in K562 cells was defined as 1.0), it seems that clinical relapse is impending. Since WT1 antisense oligomers inhibit the growth of leukemic cells, it is apparent that the WT1 gene plays an important role in leukemogenesis.
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PMID:Wilms tumor gene (WT1) as a new marker for the detection of minimal residual disease in leukemia. 966 76

The advent of molecular biological techniques has led to a radical improvement in the evaluation of haematological disorders and offers exciting future prospects. In particular it has led to the improved recognition of distinct clinicopathological entities defined by a combination of morphological, immunophenotypic and chromosomal features. Antibody-based techniques, namely immunophenotyping and immunocytochemical techniques, are essential to malignant haematological diagnosis. More novel is the diagnostic use of antibodies against novel fusion proteins, for example in AML, M3 and anaplastic lymphoma. PCR-based techniques allow the identification of genetic mutations and translocations including such common translocations as t(14;18), t(9;22), inv 16 and t(8;21). Fish-based techniques are greatly improving the ability to detect genetic abnormalities including those conditions with low cell proliferation and current research-based techniques include the combination of FISH with cell surface markers (FICTION), FIBRE FISH and Comparative Genomic Hybridization. Molecular techniques are essential in monitoring residual disease which is best illustrated in CML. The development of real-time automated PCR offers exciting prospects in this field. The increasing number of tests, the need for an integrated approach to diagnosis and the need for cost effectiveness indicate that such services should be provided by a specialized haematology laboratory.
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PMID:Modern molecular diagnostics and the management of haematological malignancies. 968 Dec 27

It is well-known that low dose cytosine arabinoside (LDAC) has activity in elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Several studies have shown that AML patients with t(8;21) in long term complete remission (CR) following intensive chemotherapy or allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) still have persistence of AML1-MTG8 transcripts by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. We report here a patient who has no evidence of residual disease detectable by RT-PCR after LDAC. A 69-year-old patient did not obtain CR after two courses of intensive chemotherapy with behenoyl-ara-C, daunorubicin, 6-mercaptopurine and prednisolone. He received subcutaneous LDAC 10 mg every 12 h and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) for 29 days and achieved CR. He continued on a 21 to 28-day course of LDAC without G-CSF every 2 or 3 months and has remained well and in CR for 5 years without chimeric AMLI-MTG8 transcript by RT-PCR. LDAC therapy seems to be effective in eradicating the leukemic clone as post-induction or maintenance therapy in this patient. This is the first case report of the disappearance of AML1-MTG8 transcript by RT-PCR in a patient with t(8;21) in long-term remission after LDAC.
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PMID:Disappearance of AML1-MTG8 transcript by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in a patient in remission of acute myeloid leukemia (M2) after low-dose cytosine arabinoside. 971 19

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is the most potentially curable subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). APL is highly sensitive to induction chemotherapy with anthracyclines. In addition, it now has been established that all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), alone or in combination with chemotherapy for induction, improves the disease-free interval compared with chemotherapy alone. Large, prospective clinical studies have demonstrated complete remission rates ranging from 72% to 95% with ATRA therapy in patients with newly diagnosed APL. An important biological marker for monitoring residual disease is the promyelocytic retinoic acid receptor alpha (PML-RARalpha) fusion transcript. Its detection by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) during remission appears to represent a strong predictor of clinical relapse. One limitation of ATRA therapy is the rapid development of retinoid resistance. Arsenic trioxide and alternative retinoids (9-cis retinoic acid and Am-80) currently are being investigated to determine whether they might have a role in circumventing retinoid resistance and further improving long-term outcome in patients with APL.
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PMID:Therapy of acute promyelocytic leukemia: all-trans retinoic acid and beyond. 977 94

In 140 patients with de novo acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) standard cytogenetics were compared with RT-PCR for the detection of t(8;21), t(15;17) and inv(16) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for numerical aberrations of chromosomes 7, 8, X and Y. RT-PCR detected 18 cases with t(8;21), 12 with t(15;17) and seven with inv(16). In two cases with t(8;21), two with t(15;17) and four with inv(16) these aberrations had not been detected by standard cytogenetics. There were no false negative PCR results. In 12 patients with these chromosomal changes, standard cytogenetics revealed additional chromosomal aberrations. In 16 patients sole numerical aberrations of the chromosomes 7, 8, X or Y were found by FISH. In these patients the sensitivity of FISH and standard cytogenetics was comparable. In 87 patients no aberrations could be found by PCR and FISH whereas in 24 of these patients standard cytogenetics revealed an abnormal karyotype. These data recommend the combination of standard cytogenetics and molecular techniques to improve the sensitivity for the detection of genetic lesions in AML. Once chromosomal markers have been identified by combined analysis these markers could be used to monitor residual disease during/after chemotherapy, by RT-PCR and/or FISH.
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PMID:Detection of karyotypic aberrations in acute myeloblastic leukaemia: a prospective comparison between PCR/FISH and standard cytogenetics in 140 patients with de novo AML. 979 92

In our study we used a new proposed system of CD45 monoclonal antibody in combination with the side scatter (SSC) parameter as a very useful gating method allowing myeloblast detection especially in cases with low blasts percentage in examined samples. Immunological demonstration of myeloperoxidase (MPO) in the cytoplasm of AML blasts is considered to be a reliable and highly sensitive marker. Using a direct single and double immunofluorescence staining method and flow cytometry we evaluated the intracellular expression of two granular constituents of myeloid cells--MPO and lactoferrin (LF) in leukemia cells from 18 patients at AML diagnosis, two patients in remission after allogenic bone marrow transplantation and in six controls. Two different fixation/permeabilization techniques were used: Fix&Perm, paraformaldehyde and saponin prior to monoclonal antibody staining in order to verify the sensitivity of two labeling methods for MPO. Although both reagents used in this study proved to be efficient tools for the fixation and permeabilization of leukemia cells, the second one was characterized by higher sensitivity in detection of MPO. By double staining of MPO and LF we were able to distinguish undifferentiated cells from the granulomonocytic maturation compartments in bone marrow, since LF is proposed to be selectively expressed from the myelocyte stage of differentiation onward. Cytoplasmic CD13 expression was detectable in AML blasts after their buffered-formaldehyde-acetone fixation/permeabilization. According to our results the detection of MPO and CD13 markers in the cytoplasm of leukemia cells is of great importance in the definition of FAB M0-M1 subtype of AML. Furthermore we described overexpression of CD34 antigen in AML and revealed the characteristic marker combination when CD34 was studied simultaneously with MPO. This finding also coincided with some atypical phenotypic features (CD15/MPO, CD7/cCD13, CD2/cCD13, CD33/cCD13, MPO/cCD13) contributing to the differential diagnosis and allowing the immunologic monitoring of patients for the presence of residual disease.
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PMID:Intracellular markers in acute myeloid leukemia diagnosis. 992 16

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a distinct subtype of acute myeloid leukemia characterized by hypergranular leukemic cells, bleeding diathesis and t(15; 17) translocation. The t(15; 17) translocation leads to the production of the PML-RAR alpha fusion protein which plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of APL by arresting normal differentiation of myeloid precursors. However, in the presence of high concentrations of all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA), the PML-RAR alpha fusion protein serves to stimulate cell differentiation. The diagnosis of APL and the detection of residual disease are based on the t(15; 17) translocation. Treatment with a combination of ATRA and anthracycline-AraC chemotherapy has shown a higher rate of complete remission in APL. We report the case of a 71-year-old male with the rare microgranular variant of APL to illustrate these findings. The patient was treated with a combination of ATRA and Daunorubicin-AraC chemotherapy and achieved complete remission. He developed retinoic acid syndrome as a complication of therapy with ATRA. The methods for diagnosis, the molecular mechanisms in the oncogenesis of APL, rationale of treatment of APL with ATRA, complications of therapy and the new concepts in the treatment of ATRA-resistant APL are discussed.
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PMID:Acute promyelocytic leukemia. New methods in diagnosis and treatment. 1007 58

Acute myeloid leukemia arises from the clonal expansion of a malignant transformed progenitor cell. Despite intensive chemotherapy, final disease eradication is achieved by a small proportion of cases only and 50-70% of adults with AML will ultimately relapse and die from their disease. Hence residual disease below the level of morphological detectability must be assumed in clinical and morphological complete remission. CD34+/CD38- and CD34+/CD38+ subpopulations of seven patients in morphological complete remission were isolated by FACS (purity >98%) and were analyzed by conventional cytogenetics or FISH for chromosomal aberrations. In five of seven patients, clonal chromosomal abnormalities were detected in the CD34+/CD38+ subpopulation and in one patient with AML M2 (add (2)(q37)) in the most immature CD34+/CD38- stem cell compartment. One patient with AML M4Eo (inv(16),+8), showed a normal karyotype by conventional cytogenetic analysis, whereas four of 15 metaphases of the sorted CD34+/CD38+ subpopulation revealed the inversion 16. These observations underline that leukemic cells can survive intensive chemotherapy in the niche of the stem cell compartment. In some patients the sensitivity for the detection of persistent leukemic cells seems to be higher in FACS-sorted subpopulations than conventional cytogenetic analysis of the unseparated bone marrow. Immunophenotyping revealed minimal residual disease in four of the patients. Functional analysis has to be performed to investigate the leukemogenic potential of these residual cells.
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PMID:Clonal chromosomal abnormalities in the stem cell compartment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia in morphological complete remission. 1008 29

Plasminogen activation in leukemia has been less well characterized than in other malignancies. However, the increased tendency to bleeding and tissue infiltration by leukemic cells are processes in which plasminogen activation may be involved. We have examined plasma and the peripheral blood mononuclear cell fraction from 80 patients including 53 patients with newly diagnosed acute leukemia and 27 patients with other hematological disorders as well as 21 healthy controls. In 28 of 29 examined patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and in two of three patients with hybrid leukemia we found urokinase receptor (uPAR) on the cell surface, while most (7/9) samples from patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) were negative for uPAR. The plasma mean value for soluble uPAR (suPAR) was significantly elevated in patients with AML and ALL. In AML the highest values were found in patients who had residual disease after several cycles of chemotherapy. Compared to controls the uPA antigen levels in patient plasmas were elevated and decreased along with uPAR during treatment. Our results suggest that cell surface uPAR may be a useful marker for leukemia classification and in our material a high level of plasma suPAR correlated with resistance to chemotherapy in AML.
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PMID:Blast cell-surface and plasma soluble urokinase receptor in acute leukemia patients: relationship to classification and response to therapy. 1036 41

The epithet "less is more" is usually applied to the essentials of good design, but it might be equally true of autologous blood or marrow transplantation. Ever since autologous marrow transplantation was first used to reconstitute recipients of high-dose chemotherapy or radiotherapy, there has been much discussion about the relative contribution of residual tumor cells in the graft to the occurrence of subsequent relapse. It was not until the early 1990s that this risk was finally confirmed by the use of gene marking [1]. A retroviral vector was used to mark a proportion of the autologous remission bone marrow from patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) before marrow infusion after high-dose therapy. Two recipients relapsed and both had leukemic blasts with the marker, the neomycin-resistance gene. As the safety of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has increased, the use of high-dose therapy followed by stem cell "rescue" is becoming more widespread. The malignancies treated in this way include leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, neuroblastoma, breast cancer, and ovarian tumors. In each of these conditions a number of important questions should be addressed: Can we identify and quantitate tumor cells in the grafts and establish their oncogenic potential? If so, how best can we remove them? Can they be removed without compromising the graft, and will such purging produce a clinically significant reduction in relapse risk? Finally, will the procedure be cost-effective?
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PMID:"Less is More": The Role of Purging in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation. 1038 58


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