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Childhood All

No prognostic effect of additional chromosomal abnormalities in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and 11q23 abnormalities

Leukemia volume 19, pages 557–563 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

This study characterized the additional chromosomal abnormalities (ACA) associated with 11q23 rearrangements in 450 infants and children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and examined the impact of these ACA on survival. Overall, 213 (47%) cases had ACA but the incidence varied according to patient age and 11q23 subgroup. Infants and patients with t(4;11)(q21;q23) had the lowest incidence of ACA (50/182 (27%) and 57/216 (26%) respectively), whereas patients with del(11)(q23) had the highest incidence (66/93 (71%)). Del(11)(q23) abnormalities were heterogeneous and occasionally secondary to t(9;22)(q34;q11.2). Thus, patients with del(11)(q23) comprised a separate biological entity, which was clearly distinct from those with an 11q23 translocation. The most frequent specific ACA were trisomy X (n=38), abnormal 12p (n=32), abnormal 9p (n=28) and del(6q) (n=19). The presence of ACA did not change the 5 year event-free survival estimates among children (56% (95% CI 46–65%) vs 62% (54–69%)) or infants (22% (15–29%) vs 18% (9–29%)), nor when the different 11q23 subgroups were analyzed separately. This study has conclusively demonstrated that there is no prognostic effect of secondary chromosomal changes in association with 11q23 abnormalities in childhood ALL. However, characterization of these ACA is important to determine their potential role in initiation of MLL driven leukemogenesis.

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Acknowledgements

AVM and CJH would like to thank the Leukaemia Research Fund in the UK for financial support. The work was also supported in part by grants (CA21765, CA36401, CA51001, CA78224, CA60419 and GM61393) from the US National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society FM Kirby Clinical Research Professorship (to CH Pui) and the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC).

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Author notes

  1. E Vilmer: E Vilmer sadly died prior to the completion of this manuscript.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leukaemia Research Fund Cytogenetics Group, Cancer Sciences Division, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK

    A V Moorman & C J Harrison

  2. St Jude Children's Research Hospital and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA

    S C Raimondi & C-H Pui

  3. French Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Cooperative Group, France

    A Baruchel

  4. Associazione Italiana di Ematologia ed Oncologia Pediatrica, Italy

    A Biondi

  5. Nordic Society of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology and University of Umeå, Umeå, Sweden

    E Forestier

  6. Children's Oncology Group, USA

    A J Carroll, P S Gaynon & N Heerema

  7. Berlin-Frankfurt Munster Study Group, Germany

    J Harbott & M Schrappe

  8. Cooperative ALL Study Group, Germany

    D O Harms

  9. Dutch Childhood Oncology Group, The Netherlands

    R Pieters

  10. Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    L B Silverman

  11. European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer, France, Belgium

    E Vilmer

  12. National Cancer Research Institute Childhood Leukaemia Working Party, UK

    C J Harrison

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Moorman, A., Raimondi, S., Pui, CH. et al. No prognostic effect of additional chromosomal abnormalities in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and 11q23 abnormalities. Leukemia 19, 557–563 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2403695

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