ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To search in children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) for specific pattern of expression of foetal haemoglobin (HbF) and its G gamma/A gamma chain ratio. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 60 children with ALL were examined: 29 with ALL-L1, and 31 with ALL-L2, and 25 healthy children as control group, which were subdivided in three groups: A) 0-5, B) 6-10 and C) 11-18 years. We performed HbF and HbA2 quantification and Hb electrophoresis. G gamma and A gamma globin chain percentages were obtained with a new method based on the precipitation of the HbF eluate by Singer's method with sulphosalycilic acid, the globin chains were separated in polyacrylamide with Triton X-100 and quantified by densitometry. RESULTS: HbF showed similar levels in both ALL groups by the Betke and Singer's methods; (ALL-L1: 2.2 +/- 1.5%, ALL-L2: 2.0 +/- 1.2%; and ALL-L1: 2.0 +/- 1.2%, ALL-L2: 2.1 +/- 1.5% respectively), but there were statistically significant differences (p < 0.001) when compared with the control group (0.9 +/- 0.4%, and 1.0 +/- 0.6% for Betke and Singer's method). The G gamma/A gamma ratio showed to be different between the ALL-L1 and ALL-L2 (p < 0.001), with higher levels of G gamma in ALL-L1 (51.0%), the ALL-L2 and the control group showed similar G gamma values (37.5% and 42.1% respectively). CONCLUSION: The factors involved in the increase of HbF are similar for both ALL-L1 and ALL-L2. However there seems to be different factors affecting the expression of G gamma or A gamma.
Subject(s)
Fetal Hemoglobin/analysis , Globins/analysis , Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/blood , Adolescent , Age Factors , Child , Child, Preschool , Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic , Globins/biosynthesis , Humans , Infant , Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/geneticsABSTRACT
The rate of HbF was studied in 123 children with different malignancies in order to assess its changes and relationship with other values of peripheral blood. The cases were distributed into 34 with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), 19 with acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML), 23 cases of Hodgkin's disease (HD), 16 of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and 31 of different solid tumors (ST). ALL and AML groups had the highest HbF rates (2.88 +/- 1.93% and 2.63 +/- 2.7%, respectively), followed by HD and NHL (1.89 +/- 1.09% and 1.81 +/- 1.68%, respectively), whereas the ST group showed the lowest values (1.32 +/- 1.74%). When comparing these figures with the findings in a group of adult leukaemia and lymphoma (1.6 +/- 0,7% and 1.2 +/- 0.5%, respectively), it was found that HbF was increased in the children to a higher extent. The analysis of the gamma G and gamma A chains of HbF, performed on 14 of the patients, showed in 7 cases a correlation similar to the newborn pattern, while this was similar to the adults in the remainders. These findings suggest that some factors intrinsic to the neoplasm might favour, in a different degree, the re-expression of HbF, which, in turn, would not necessarily mean a reversion to the foctal stages since the correlation of the gamma chains was similar to the adult pattern in 50% of the cases studied.
Subject(s)
Biomarkers, Tumor/blood , Fetal Hemoglobin/analysis , Neoplasms/blood , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Globins/analysis , Humans , Infant , Leukemia/blood , Lymphoma/blood , MaleABSTRACT
Hb alterations studied throughout 2 years in 129 patients are reported, these patients had hemolytic anemia or the possibility of a hemoglobinopathy : 5 were heterozygotes to thalassemia b; 3 were compound-heterozygote of thalassemia a1 and thalassemia a2; 2 for thalassemia b and 2 for thalassemia b and Hb S; 2 homozygotes and 2 heterozygotes for Hb S; 2 was bearing unstable Hb and the other had Hereditary Persistence of Hb F. These results allow the conclusion that thalassemia is the Hb alteration which most frequently causes hemolytic anemia in our population and underscores the importance of the study of these pathologies in selected populations.
