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e8a2 BCR–ABL: more frequent than other atypical BCR–ABL variants?

Leukemia volume 19, pages 681–684 (2005)Cite this article

TO THE EDITOR

In patients with Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome-positive leukemia, there is evidence for an inverse correlation between the size of the BCR portion retained in the Bcr–Abl protein and the aggressiveness of the leukemia. Breakpoints in the minor breakpoint cluster region (m-bcr) result in an e1a2 transcript and p190BCR–ABL protein, which is associated with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), while breakpoints in the major bcr (M-bcr) generate e13a2 or e14a2 transcripts and p210BCR–ABL, typical of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Last, breakpoints in the micro-bcr (μ-bcr) lead to an e19a2 mRNA and p230BCR–ABL protein, which is associated with the relatively benign chronic neutrophilic leukemia.1 Thus, it appears that Bcr domains encoded by sequences 3′ of exon e1 may attenuate the disease phenotype, a notion that can be tested by analyzing patients with atypical BCR–ABL fusions that lack or retain defined parts of BCR compared to p210BCR–ABL and p190BCR–ABL, respectively. Here, we describe three new patients with an unusual e8a2 BCR–ABL transcript and review their characteristics in the context of five previously published cases, for which we provide additional information.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute, Portland, OR, USA

    S Demehri, B J Druker & M W N Deininger

  2. III. Medizinische Klinik, Fakultät für Klinische Medizin Mannheim der Universität Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany

    P Paschka, B Schultheis & A Hochhaus

  3. Department of Hematology, University of Leipzig, Germany

    T Lange

  4. Clinical Research Division, Hyogo Medical Center for Adults, Akashi, Japan

    T Koizumi & T Sugimoto

  5. Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, South Australia

    S Branford

  6. Department of Hematology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore

    L-C Lim

  7. Department of Hematology/Oncology, University of Halle-Wittenberg, Germany

    T Kegel

  8. Institute of Hematology and Medical Oncology Seragnoli, University of Bologna, Italy

    G Martinelli

  9. Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Portland, OR, USA

    B J Druker

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  1. S Demehri
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  2. P Paschka
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  3. B Schultheis
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  4. T Lange
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  5. T Koizumi
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  6. T Sugimoto
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  7. S Branford
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  8. L-C Lim
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  9. T Kegel
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  10. G Martinelli
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  11. A Hochhaus
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  12. B J Druker
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  13. M W N Deininger
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Correspondence to M W N Deininger.

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Demehri, S., Paschka, P., Schultheis, B. et al. e8a2 BCR–ABL: more frequent than other atypical BCR–ABL variants?. Leukemia 19, 681–684 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2403604

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2403604

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