Posttransplantation leukemia relapses: the role of chromosome changes
Nikolay N. Mamaev, Tatyana L. Gindina, Ildar M. Barkhatov, Boris V. Afanasyev
Memorial R. M. Gorbacheva Institute of Children Hematology and Transplantation, St. Petersburg Pavlov State Medical University,
St. Petersburg, Russia
Correspondence
Nikolay Mamaev, Memorial R. M. Gorbacheva Institute of Children Hematology and Transplantation, St. Petersburg Pavlov State Medical University, 6/8, Tolstoy str., St. Petersburg, 199044, Russia
E-mail: nikmamaev@rambler.ru
Summary
Aim
To study the cytogenetic profile of leukemia cells in patients with relapses after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).
Patients and methods
The group enrolled 5 patients with acute myeloid (3) and acute lymphoblastic (2) leukemias. The standard G-banding cytogenetic technique supplemented by rtPCR was used.
Results
Modal classes of chromosomes ranged from 44 up to 50 (Table). Four patients were associated with multiple chromosome changes and 1 with translocation (9;11)(p22;q23). Of the 5 tested patients, 3 (60%) contained the whole or partial loss of chromosome number 9. Several patients lost chromosomes 13 and 17, while they gained chromosome number 8. The following structural chromosome rearrangements are important: a) translocations (1;6)(p10;q10), (1;18)(p10;p10), (4;12)(q25;q13), and (11;14)(p13;q11); and b) deletions of 7q22 and 3p.
Conclusion
Multiple chromosome changes and the loss of 9/9p- are the most common findings in patients with posttransplantation relapse.
Keywords
leukemia, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, relapse, chromosome changes
Table 1. Karyotypes in patients with relapsed leukemias after HSCT
| Disease | Karyotype |
| ALL | 46,XX, t(9;11)(p22;q23) (100%) |
| ALL | 45,XX, der(2)t(2;9)(p21;q13), t(4;12)(q25;q13), -9, t(11;14)(p13;q11), del(17)(p11) (100%) |
| ALL | 47,XX, dic(6;11)(q23;?), del(9)(q13), t(9;22)(q34;q11), del(12)(q13), -13, +der(22)t(9;22)(q34;q11), +22 (30%) |
| AМL | 44,XX, der(1)t(1;18)(p10;p10), del(3)(p13), der(4)t(4?;11) (q35;?;q?13), -5, der(6)t(1;6)(p10;q10), del(7)(q22), +del(8)(p21), add(12)(q12), -17, -18, -19, add(20)(q13), +22(80%)/46,XY(20%) |
| AМL | 50,XY, +4, +8, +10, +22(50%)/47,XY, +8(40%)/46,XY(10%) |
