Minimal Residual Disease Tests Provide an Independent Predictor of Clinical Outcome in Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

2002 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 1094-1104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Forida Y. Mortuza ◽  
Mary Papaioannou ◽  
Ilidia M. Moreira ◽  
Luke A. Coyle ◽  
Paula Gameiro ◽  
...  

PURPOSE: Investigation of minimal residual disease (MRD) in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) using molecular markers has proven superior to other standard criteria (age, sex, and WBC) in distinguishing patients at high, intermediate, and low risk of relapse. The aim of our study was to determine whether MRD investigation is valuable in predicting outcome in Philadelphia-negative adult patients with ALL. PATIENTS AND METHODS: MRD was assessed in 85 adult patients with B-lineage ALL by semiquantitative immunoglobulin H gene analysis on bone marrow samples collected during four time bands in the first 24 months of treatment. Fifty patients received chemotherapy only and 35 patients received allogeneic (n = 19) or autologous (n = 16) bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in first clinical remission. The relationship between MRD status and clinical outcome was investigated and compared with age, sex, immunophenotype, and presenting WBC count. RESULTS: Fisher’s exact test established a statistically significant concordance between MRD results and clinical outcome at all times. Disease-free survival (DFS) rates for MRD-positive and -negative patients and log-rank testing established that MRD positivity was associated with increased relapse rates at all times (P < .05) but was most significant at 3 to 5 months after induction and beyond. MRD status after allogeneic BMT rather than before was found to be an important predictor of outcome in 19 adult patients with ALL tested. In patients receiving autologous BMT (n = 16), the MRD status before BMT was more significant (P = .005). CONCLUSION: The association of MRD test results and DFS was independent of and greater than other standard predictors of outcome and is therefore important in determining treatment for individual patients.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie L. Rellick ◽  
Gangqing Hu ◽  
Debra Piktel ◽  
Karen H. Martin ◽  
Werner J. Geldenhuys ◽  
...  

AbstractB-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is characterized by accumulation of immature hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow, a well-established sanctuary site for leukemic cell survival during treatment. While standard of care treatment results in remission in most patients, a small population of patients will relapse, due to the presence of minimal residual disease (MRD) consisting of dormant, chemotherapy-resistant tumor cells. To interrogate this clinically relevant population of treatment refractory cells, we developed an in vitro cell model in which human ALL cells are grown in co-culture with human derived bone marrow stromal cells or osteoblasts. Within this co-culture, tumor cells are found in suspension, lightly attached to the top of the adherent cells, or buried under the adherent cells in a population that is phase dim (PD) by light microscopy. PD cells are dormant and chemotherapy-resistant, consistent with the population of cells that underlies MRD. In the current study, we characterized the transcriptional signature of PD cells by RNA-Seq, and these data were compared to a published expression data set derived from human MRD B-cell ALL patients. Our comparative analyses revealed that the PD cell population is markedly similar to the MRD expression patterns from the primary cells isolated from patients. We further identified genes and key signaling pathways that are common between the PD tumor cells from co-culture and patient derived MRD cells as potential therapeutic targets for future studies.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 111 (6) ◽  
pp. 2984-2990 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stella M. Davies ◽  
Michael J. Borowitz ◽  
Gary L. Rosner ◽  
Kristin Ritz ◽  
Meenakshi Devidas ◽  
...  

Abstract Minimal residual disease (MRD) as a marker of antileukemic drug efficacy is being used to assess risk status and, in some cases, to adjust the intensity of therapy. Within known prognostic categories, the determinants of MRD are not known. We measured MRD by flow cytometry at day 8 (in blood) and at day 28 (in bone marrow) of induction therapy in more than 1000 children enrolled in Pediatric Oncology Group therapy protocols 9904, 9905, and 9906. We classified patients as “best risk” if they had cleared MRD by day 8 of therapy and as “worst risk” if they had MRD remaining in bone marrow at day 28, and tested whether MRD was related to polymorphisms in 16 loci in genes hypothesized to influence response to therapy in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). After adjusting for known prognostic features such as presence of the TEL-AML1 rearrangement, National Cancer Institute (NCI) risk status, ploidy, and race, the G allele of a common polymorphism in chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) was associated with more favorable MRD status than the A allele (P = .009, logistic regression), when comparing “best” and “worst” risk groups. These data are consistent with growing evidence that both acquired and host genetics influence response to cancer therapy.


1989 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 338-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Bregni ◽  
S Siena ◽  
A Neri ◽  
R Bassan ◽  
T Barbui ◽  
...  

We have developed an assay for the detection of malignant residual cells in the bone marrow from patients with B- or T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in clinical remission. This assay involves an immune selection step followed by immunoglobulin or T-cell receptor gene rearrangement analysis and allows the detection of one contaminating tumor cell out of 1,000 normal bone marrow cells. We have examined the bone marrow of 11 patients with adult ALL in remission over a 24-month period. Five patients relapsed in the bone marrow and one in the CNS. The assay allowed the detection of minimal residual disease in four of five patients that subsequently relapsed in the bone marrow, 1.5 to 9 months before the relapse became morphologically and clinically manifest. Residual disease was not found in the bone marrow from patients in continuous remission and from the single patient who relapsed in the CNS. We conclude that the ability of the assay described here to detect minimal residual disease with high specificity can provide information for further understanding of the biology of ALL and hopefully for the clinical management of patients with this disease.


Leukemia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 1154-1157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michaela Kotrova ◽  
Antonia Volland ◽  
Britta Kehden ◽  
Heiko Trautmann ◽  
Matthias Ritgen ◽  
...  

Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (22) ◽  
pp. 2321-2321
Author(s):  
Sebastian Giebel ◽  
Beata Stella-Holowiecka ◽  
Malgorzata Krawczyk-Kulis ◽  
Nicola Goekbuget ◽  
Dieter Hoelzer ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 2321 Poster Board II-298 The role of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (autoHSCT) in the treatment of adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a subject of controversies as several prospective studies failed to prove its advantage over maintenance chemotherapy. Those studies, however, did not take into account the status of minimal residual disease (MRD), which is now recognized a potent predictor for relapse among patients treated with conventional-dose chemotherapy. The goal of this analysis was to determine the impact of MRD on outcome of autoHSCT. Data on 123 autoHSCT recipients collected from 6 study groups cooperating in the European Leukemia Net were analyzed. Median age of 77 B-lineage and 46 T-lineage high-risk ALL patients was 31 (16-59) years. Ph+ ALL was recognized in 20 cases. All patients were in first complete remission (CR) lasting 6 (1.5-22) months. Peripheral blood was used as a source of stem cells in 67 patients whereas bone marrow, in 56 cases. Conditioning was based on chemotherapy alone (n=76) or total body irradiation (n=47). MRD was evaluated in bone marrow with the use of either multiparametric flow cytometry (n=79) or molecular techniques (n=44). MRD level of 0.1% bone marrow cells was used as a cut-off point for the purpose of this study. At the time of autoHSCT MRD was &0.1% in 93 patients and ≧0.1% in 30 cases. With the median follow up of 5 years, the probability of leukemia-free survival (LFS) at 5 years for the whole group equaled 48% (+/-5). Three patients died of transplantation-related complications. The LFS rate was significantly higher for patients with the MRD level at transplantation &0.1% compared to those with MRD ≧0.1% (57% vs. 19%, p=0.0002). The difference was particularly pronounced for peripheral blood HSCT (66% vs. 20%, p=0.0006) and for T-lineage ALL (62% vs. 8%, p=0.001). In a multivariate analysis adjusted for other potential prognostic factors (age, CR duration, Ph+ ALL, immunophenotype, source of stem cells, type of conditioning), the MRD status &0.1% remained the only independent factor associated with increased LFS (HR=2.5, p=0.0009). CONCLUSIONS: MRD status is the most important predictor for LFS after autoHSCT in adults with ALL. More than half of patients with high risk disease and low MRD level at the time of transplantation may be cured. This observation may contribute to re-evaluation of the role of autoHSCT in the therapy of adult ALL. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 107 (3) ◽  
pp. 1116-1123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Brüggemann ◽  
Thorsten Raff ◽  
Thomas Flohr ◽  
Nicola Gökbuget ◽  
Makoto Nakao ◽  
...  

AbstractAdult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who are stratified into the standard-risk (SR) group due to the absence of adverse prognostic factors relapse in 40% to 55% of the cases. To identify complementary markers suitable for further treatment stratification in SR ALL, we evaluated the predictive value of minimal residual disease (MRD) and prospectively monitored MRD in 196 strictly defined SR ALL patients at up to 9 time points in the first year of treatment by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Frequency of MRD positivity decreased from 88% during early induction to 13% at week 52. MRD was predictive for relapse at various follow-up time points. Combined MRD information from different time points allowed definition of 3 risk groups (P < .001): 10% of patients with a rapid MRD decline to lower than 10-4 or below detection limit at day 11 and day 24 were classified as low risk and had a 3-year relapse rate (RR) of 0%. A subset of 23% with an MRD of 10-4 or higher until week 16 formed the high-risk group, with a 3-year RR of 94% (95% confidence interval [CI] 83%-100%). The remaining patients whose RR was 47% (31%-63%) represented the intermediate-risk group. Thus, MRD quantification during treatment identified prognostic subgroups within the otherwise homogeneous SR ALL population who may benefit from individualized treatment.


Blood ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 77 (5) ◽  
pp. 1087-1091
Author(s):  
J Anastasi ◽  
M Thangavelu ◽  
JW Vardiman ◽  
AL Hooberman ◽  
ML Bian ◽  
...  

We used in situ hybridization with a probe for the X chromosome to study interphase cells of bone marrow and peripheral blood specimens from a male patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia characterized by hyperdiploidy, including trisomy X. In a posttreatment bone marrow specimen, which was interpreted as a regenerating bone marrow morphologically and which demonstrated a normal karyotype cytogenetically, trisomy X was found in 16 of 1,000 interphase cells. This finding indicated the presence of leukemic cells that were undetected by conventional morphologic and cytogenetic techniques (ie, minimal residual disease). Cytogenetic studies of a relapse specimen obtained after a sex-mismatched bone marrow transplant showed only a normal female karyotype in each of 40 metaphase cells, suggesting that the relapse occurred in donor cells. However, interphase analysis demonstrated trisomy X in more than 80% of interphase cells and indicated that the relapse was of the original clone and was not a transformation of donor cells. This case illustrates that interphase analysis can be useful as an adjunct to conventional cytogenetic analysis in the detection of minimal residual disease and in the analysis of interphase cells that are not accessible to routine cytogenetic methods. It also illustrates that previously reported instances of relapse of leukemia in donor cells could have been incorrect if supported by cytogenetic data alone.


2021 ◽  
pp. JCO.20.02333
Author(s):  
Janine Stutterheim ◽  
Inge M. van der Sluis ◽  
Paola de Lorenzo ◽  
Julia Alten ◽  
Philip Ancliffe ◽  
...  

PURPOSE Infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is characterized by a high incidence of KMT2A gene rearrangements and poor outcome. We evaluated the value of minimal residual disease (MRD) in infants with KMT2A-rearranged ALL treated within the Interfant-06 protocol, which compared lymphoid-style consolidation (protocol IB) versus myeloid-style consolidation (araC, daunorubicin, etoposide/mitoxantrone, araC, etoposide). MATERIALS AND METHODS MRD was measured in 249 infants by DNA-based polymerase chain reaction of rearranged KMT2A, immunoglobulin, and/or T-cell receptor genes, at the end of induction (EOI) and end of consolidation (EOC). MRD results were classified as negative, intermediate (< 5 × 10−4), and high (≥ 5 × 10−4). RESULTS EOI MRD levels predicted outcome with 6-year disease-free survival (DFS) of 60.2% (95% CI, 43.2 to 73.6), 45.0% (95% CI, 28.3 to 53.1), and 33.8% (95% CI, 23.8 to 44.1) for infants with negative, intermediate, and high EOI MRD levels, respectively ( P = .0039). EOC MRD levels were also predictive of outcome, with 6-year DFS of 68.2% (95% CI, 55.2 to 78.1), 40.1% (95% CI, 28.1 to 51.9), and 11.9% (95% CI, 2.6 to 29.1) for infants with negative, intermediate, and high EOC MRD levels, respectively ( P < .0001). Analysis of EOI MRD according to the type of consolidation treatment showed that infants treated with lymphoid-style consolidation had 6-year DFS of 78.2% (95% CI, 51.4 to 91.3), 47.2% (95% CI, 33.0 to 60.1), and 23.2% (95% CI, 12.1 to 36.4) for negative, intermediate, and high MRD levels, respectively ( P < .0001), while for myeloid-style–treated patients the corresponding figures were 45.0% (95% CI, 23.9 to 64.1), 41.3% (95% CI, 23.2 to 58.5), and 45.9% (95% CI, 29.4 to 60.9). CONCLUSION This study provides support for the idea that induction therapy selects patients for subsequent therapy; infants with high EOI MRD may benefit from AML-like consolidation (DFS 45.9% v 23.2%), whereas patients with low EOI MRD may benefit from ALL-like consolidation (DFS 78.2% v 45.0%). Patients with positive EOC MRD had dismal outcomes. These findings will be used for treatment interventions in the next Interfant protocol.


2001 ◽  
Vol 119 (5) ◽  
pp. 175-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Alberto Scrideli ◽  
Ricardo Defavery ◽  
José Eduardo Bernardes ◽  
Luíz Gonzaga Tone

CONTEXT: The CDR-3 region of heavy-chain immunoglobulin has been used as a clonal marker in the study of minimal residual disease in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Southern blot and polymerase chain reaction studies have demonstrated the occurrence of bi/oligoclonality in a variable number of cases of B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a fact that may strongly interfere with the detection of minimal residual disease. Oligoclonality has also been associated with a poorer prognosis and a higher chance of relapse. OBJECTIVES: To correlate bi/oligoclonality, detected by polymerase chain reaction in Brazilian children with B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia with a chance of relapse, with immunophenotype, risk group, and disease-free survival. DESIGN: Prospective study of patients’ outcome. SETTING: Pediatric Oncology Unit of the University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo. PARTICIPANTS: 47 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia DIAGNOSTIC TEST: Polymerase chain reaction using consensus primers for the CDR-3 region of heavy chain immunoglobulin (FR3A, LJH and VLJH) for the detection of clonality. RESULTS: Bi/oligoclonality was detected in 15 patients (31.9%). There was no significant difference between the groups with monoclonality and biclonality in terms of the occurrence of a relapse (28.1% versus 26.1%), presence of CALLA+ (81.2% versus 80%) or risk group (62.5% versus 60%). Disease-free survival was similar in both groups, with no significant difference (p: 0.7695). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that bi/oligoclonality was not associated with the factors investigated in the present study and that its detection in 31.9% of the patients may be important for the study and monitoring of minimal residual disease.


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