[Role of molecular genetic investigations in the diagnosis of acute leukemias and in the detection of minimal residual disease]. / Molekuláris genetikai vizsgálatok szerepe az akut leukaemiák diagnosztikájában és a maradék leukaemia kimutatásában.

Chimera gene products, the molecular hallmark of acute leukemias were detected and quantified for diagnostic purposes and for follow up of therapy and characterization of minimal residual disease. In acute lymphoid leukemia mainly the bcr-abl, and in acute myeloid leukemias, depending on the morphological classification, the aml-eto, bcr-abl, pml-rara, plzf-rara, and cbfb-myh chimeras were investigated. The determinations were based on reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. The results were used in diagnosis of 315 new leukemic patients, and in follow up of 70 ones. In the present paper the usefulness of the applied methods is illustrated by presentation of data of 38 (27, acute myeloid leukemias and 11 acute lymphoid ones) patients out of the 139 treated in the National Institute during the last years.