Investigation of PML-RARα fusion gene in acute promyelocytic leukemia by real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR

Objective To investigate the relapse risk assessment for patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia(APL)through testing PML-RARα fusion gene by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RQ-PCR).Methods Relative copies of PML-RARα fusion gene were measured in 25 patients with APL in phases of first diagnosis,complete remission(CR)and relapse.The minimal residual disease(MRD)situations were also monitored in 6 of the 25 patients.Results Different PML-RARα fusion gene expression levels were observed in patient groups of different phases of the disease.(P0.05).The expression level was high in patients at first diagnosis,and low during CR and high again when relapsed.Conclusion PML-RARα fusion gene test by RQ-PCR could be used for monitoring MRD in patients with APL.A higher expression level in the CR phase may be suggestive of a relapse.