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Diagnostic detection of AML1/ETO gene fusion by polymerase chain reaction

Leukemia volume 16, pages 1576–1577 (2002)Cite this article

Sarriera et al1 recently reported on the incidence of cryptic AML1/ETO rearrangements found by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 104 cases of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). We published a similar study of cytogenetically cryptic AML1/ETO fusion in a cohort of 412 patients2 where we found an incidence of only 0.5%, substantially lower than the 7.7% reported by Sarriera et al. We were interested to account for this difference in incidence.

Of the eight cryptic cases they include, it appears that cytogenetic analysis was performed on only seven; the remaining case provided insufficient metaphases for a cytogenetic analysis so the presence or absence of a conventional t(8;21) translocation could not be established. Since it therefore remains possible that this patient may actually have a conventional t(8;21) we contend that this case cannot be regarded as cryptic in the terms of their study and should be omitted. The incidence of AML1/ETO found by PCR alone should therefore be amended to 6.8% (seven cases in 103).

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References

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  1. Institute of Human Genetics, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

    D Rowe & NP Bown

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  1. D Rowe
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  2. NP Bown
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Rowe, D., Bown, N. Diagnostic detection of AML1/ETO gene fusion by polymerase chain reaction. Leukemia 16, 1576–1577 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2402667

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