Immunoglobulin heavy chain and T cell receptor gene rearrangements in acute myeloid leukemia

Objective To investigate the clonal rearrangements of immunoglobulin heavy chain(IgH) and T cell receptor(TCR) in the patients with acute myeloid leukemia(AML) and their effect on prognosis. Methods Polymerase chain reaction(PCR) was used to study IgH and TCR gene rearrangements. Results In 38 AML patients, 12 samples(31.58%) had IgH gene rearrangements, and 8 samples(21.05%) had TCR gene rearrangements. The complete remission rate in the patients with IgH or TCR gene rearrangements was low. The rates of IgH or TCR gene rearrangements in the patients with long term remission were also low. The patients at new diagnosis or relapse had high rate of IgH or TCR gene rearrangements. Conclusions IgH and TCR gene rearrangements suggest a poor prognosis of AML.