Minimal residual disease monitoring in chronic myeloid leukemia patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation using interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization and real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR

Chinese Journal of Cancer 窑Clinical Research窑Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a pluripotential hematopoietic stem cellderived malignant myeloproliferative disease with characteristic cytogenetics (Ph chromosome) and molecular biology (expression of BCR/ABL fusion gene).Blast crisis is the advanced stage of CML when treatment efficacy is generally poor.Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) and treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitor provide a chance of complete molecular response for CML patients, that is, the level of BCR/ABL gene is reduced to an undetectable level.Although the emergence of imatinib has pioneered on the targeting treatment for CML, alloHSCT is still the only curative method for CML for the time being 1 .However, recurrence after transplantation is one of the major influential factors for the longterm survival in CML patients.Early determination on whether the patients need intervention and dynamic monitoring minimal residual disease (MRD) (BCR/ABL gene) after alloHSCT is helpful in improving the overall efficacy and safety of HSCT, predicting recurrence and facilitating the implementation of intervention.Monitoring methods for MRD include fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and realtime quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RQPCR).FISH was once used as a diagnostic method for CML and a followup and monitoring tool on MRD.RQPCR, as a new technique for monitoring MRD in recent years, analyzes BCRABL gene quantitatively at mRNA level.Quantitative detection of the level of BCRABL gene was performed in 31 CML patients who had received alloHSCT treatment in our hospital.Herein, we summarized and analyzed the role of FISH and RQPCR as clinical monitoring tools on MRD in CML patients.A total of 31 CML patients who were diagnosed and treated in Minimal residual disease monitoring in chronic myeloid leukemia patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation using interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization and realtime quantitative reverse transcription PCR