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Response to Ho-Wan Ip and Chi-Chiu

Leukemia volume 29, page 1619 (2015)Cite this article

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We thank Ho-Wan Ip and Chi-Chiu So for their comments1 on the recently published European Treatment and Outcome Study (EUTOS) recommendations on monitoring deep molecular response in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)2 and welcome discussion on how to improve and standardize molecular monitoring for CML. Their letter raises three main issues as following:

(i) Testing laboratories should define their limit of quantitation (LoQ) as defined by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI)3 as a crucial adjunct to determination of limit of detection (LoD). Although we did not specifically discuss LoQ in our recommendations, we did cite the CLSI guidelines and fully agree with this suggestion. The EUTOS guidelines propose quantification of BCR-ABL1 levels below what is arbitrarily defined as the LoQ and it is important for laboratories and clinicians to understand the uncertainties associated with such measurements.

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References

  1. Ho-Wan IP, Chi-Chiu SO . Deep molecular response in chronic myelogenous leukemia: ensuring accuracy and consistency. Leukemia 2015; 29: 1620–1621.

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  2. Cross NC, White HE, Colomer D, Ehrencrona H, Foroni L, Gottardi E et al. Laboratory recommendations for scoring deep molecular responses following treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia. Leukemia 2015; 29: 999–1003.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the European LeukemiaNet via the ‘European Treatment and Outcome Study’ for CML. EUTOS is funded by Novartis, but the comments in this letter and the previously published recommendations were developed, finalized and written entirely by the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK

    N C P Cross

  2. National Genetics Reference Laboratory (Wessex), Salisbury, UK

    N C P Cross

  3. Medizinische Klinik, Universitätsmedizin Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany

    M C Müller

  4. Abteilung Hämatologie/Onkologie, Klinik für Innere Medizin II, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Jena, Germany

    A Hochhaus

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  1. N C P Cross
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  2. M C Müller
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  3. A Hochhaus
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Correspondence to N C P Cross.

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Cross, N., Müller, M. & Hochhaus, A. Response to Ho-Wan Ip and Chi-Chiu. Leukemia 29, 1619 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/leu.2015.97

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