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Gene expression profile unravels significant differences between childhood and adult Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Leukemia volume 17, pages 2234–2237 (2003)Cite this article

TO THE EDITOR

The t(9;22) translocation is identified in about 3–5% of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)1,2 and in about 25% of adult patients.3 In both children and adults with ALL, the t(9;22) presence is associated with a high risk for treatment failure.4,5 However, recent retrospective studies showed that Ph+ childhood ALL is a heterogeneous disease with regard to treatment response.1,2,5 High leukocyte count, old age and poor response to the prephase treatment with prednisone and intrathecal metotrexate influence treatment outcome.1,2,5 Patients with prednisone good response (PGR) had a significantly lower risk of treatment failure compared to those with prednisone poor response (PPR), when treated with intensive Berlin–Frankfurt–Münster (BFM) chemotherapy, whether associated with bone marrow transplantation (BMT) or not.1 PPR children present an equally poor clinical response and prognosis as Ph+ ALL adults.6 Recent studies on gene expression profile in childhood and adult ALL7,8 distinguished gene signatures specific to genetic subclasses. However, Ph+ ALL showed the weakest signature among genetically distinct subclasses, indicating high heterogeneity, which correlates with the clinical variability.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by grants from Fondazione M. Tettamanti, Associazione Paolo Belli, Fondazione ‘Città della Speranza’, Fondazione Cariplo, Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC), CNR-MIUR Progetto Strategico Oncologia, Progetto Finalizzato RF00-368 IRCCS ‘Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza’ (SG Rotondo, Italy) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Tecnologico (CNPq-Brazil). We thank Monica Spinelli (Padova) and Orietta Spinelli (Bergamo) for technical work, D Silvestri (Monza) for statistical assistance and Joanna Upton for her critical review of the language. We thank all investigators from AIEOP Institutions, who provided patient samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro Ricerca M. Tettamanti, Clinica Pediatrica, Università di Milano-Bicocca, Ospedale San Gerardo, Via Donizetti, Monza, Italy

    C A Scrideli, G Cazzaniga, G Fazio, L Pirola, G Masera & A Biondi

  2. Departamento de Pediatria, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirao Preto, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil

    C A Scrideli

  3. Centro Operativo di Ricerca Statistica, Fondazione M.Tettamanti, Clinica Pediatrica, Università di Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy

    A Callegaro

  4. Divisione di Ematologia, Ospedali Riuniti, Bergamo, Italy

    R Bassan & A Rambaldi

  5. Centro di Ematooncologia Pediatrica, Università di Catania, Italy

    L Lo Nigro

  6. Dipartimento di Pediatria, Clinica di Oncoematologia Pediatrica, Università di Padova, Italy

    G Basso

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Scrideli, C., Cazzaniga, G., Fazio, G. et al. Gene expression profile unravels significant differences between childhood and adult Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Leukemia 17, 2234–2237 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2403110

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