Frequency and type of chromosomal abnormalities in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients in Kuwait: a six-year retrospective study

ABSTRACT

To characterize the frequency of genetic profiles in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia [ALL] patients in Kuwait. This review presents the general cytogenetic characteristics of 164 pediatric patients diagnosed as having ALL in a 6-year period. Chromosomal and fluorescence in situ hybridization studies were made on bone marrow aspirates at diagnosis and during different stages of the disease. Recurring aberrations, observed in 123 [75%] patients, included hyperdiploidy [n = 68, 41%], tetraploidy [n = 12, 7.3%], hypodiploidy [n = 2, 1.2%], TEL-AMU fusion [n = 11, 7%], mixed-lineage leukemia rearrangement [n - 6, 3.6%], t[9;22] [n - 4, 2.4%], t[1;19] [n - 3, 1.8%], t[8;14] or t[8;22] [n = 2, 1.2%], +21 [n - 2, 1.2%], del[6] [n = 2,1.2%] and miscellaneous abnormalities [n = 9,5%].The highest observed numerical chromosome abnormality was high hyperdiploidy in 89 patients [54%] with abnormal karyotype while the TEL-AML fusion was the highest observed structural abnormality. This study showed that clonal anomalies detected in pediatric ALL have shown correlations between specific abnormalities and clinicobiological characteristics of the patients