Assessment of bcr/abl expression by real-time quantitative PCR in chronic myeloid leukemia patients after imatinib mesylate treatment / 解放军医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To set up a new real-time quantitative PCR method for the detection of minimal residual disease in chronic myeloid leukemia patients, and to assess the bcr/abl fusion gene expression in chronic myeloid leukemia patients before and after treatment with imatinib mesylate by real-time quantitative PCR method. Methods The bcr/abl fusion gene expression in 30 patients with bcr/abl-positive chronic myeloid leukemia was analyzed by using real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RQ-PCR) method. The patients treated with imatinib in a dose of 400mg/d for 1 year and 2 years were also examined (8 cases for each). In 19 new patients the same study was also conducted. Results The real time quantitative PCR method could detect 10 copies in the test. The average bcr/abl expression levels in new patients or patients who had been treated with imatinib for 1 year and 2 years were 68.18%?26.67%, 0.16%?0.15% and 0.04%?0.02%, respectively. The average logarithm reduction values after treatment were 2.82 in the first year and 3.36 in the second year. In 25% of patients (4/16) negative FISH results could not be obtained, but it was much lower than that of before imatinib-treatment. When FISH became negative, RQ-PCR showed positive results. Conclusions RQ-PCR is a more sensitive technique in the detection of bcr/abl fusion gene than the FISH. It is an important way to monitor the tumor cell during the treatment with imatinib mesylate in chronic myeloid leukemia patients.