Additional cytogenetic aberrations in chronic myeloid leukemia: a single-center experience in the Middle East

BACKGROUND: Additional cytogenetic aberrations are associated with disease progression in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). This study was conducted to determine the type and frequency of these aberrations and their relationship with hematologic and molecular findings in the Middle East. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 134 well-established cases of CML were selected from 2010 to 2016. Their hematologic phase and type of fusion gene were determined. Finally, their karyotypes were analyzed and reported according to ISCN 2013. RESULTS: Patients had a mean age of 44 years. Twenty-two patients (16.4%) showed additional cytogenetic aberrations. Nine patients (6.7%) harbored a variant Philadelphia chromosome, and most were in the chronic phase. Seventeen patients (12.7%) had major and minor route abnormalities. There was a significant relationship between additional cytogenetic aberrations and major molecular response (P=0.032). Patient survival in the group with additional cytogenetic aberrations was significantly lower (49.7±11.1 mo) than that in the group without additional cytogenetic aberrations (77.3±3.1 mo) (P=0.031). CONCLUSION: This study revealed the same frequency of additional cytogenetic aberrations in CML as found in previous studies. Additional chromosomal aberrations led to shorter survival and lower rates of achievement of a major molecular response.

Cytogenetic findings of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Fars province

Background: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia [ALL] is the sixth most common malignancy in Iran. Cytogenetic analysis of leukemic blasts plays an important role in classification and prognosis in ALL patients. The purpose of this study was to define the frequency of chromosomal abnormalities of ALL patients in adults and children in Fars province, Iran

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated karyotype results of bone marrow specimens in 168 Iranian patients with ALL [154 B-ALL and 14 T-ALL] in Fars Province using the conventional cytogenetic G-banding method

Results: The frequency of cytogenetic abnormalities, including numerical and/or structural changes, was 61.7% and 53.8% in the B-ALL and T-ALL patients, respectively. Hyperdiploidy was the most common [32%] cytogenetic abnormality. Among structural abnormalities, the most common was t[9;22] in 11% of the patients. The children showed a higher incidence of hyperdiploidy and lower incidence of t[9;22] than adults [P<0.05]. We found a lower incidence of recurrent abnormalities such as 11q23, t[1;19], and t[12;21] than those reported in previous studies

Conclusion: Normal karyotype was more frequent in our study. The frequencies of some cytogenetic abnormalities such as hyperdiploidy and t[9;22] in our study were comparable to those reported in the literature. The results of this study in Fars Province can be used as baseline information for treatment decision and research purposes in ALL patients. We recommend the use of advanced molecular techniques in the future to better elucidate cryptic cytogenetic abnormalities