Journal of Clinical and Experimental Investigations

Abstract

Objective: In this study, we aim to investigate the relation­ship, if any, between clinical features, prognosis, and the coexpressions and TEL-AML1 mutation in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
Methods: Eigthy-three patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia were retrospectively examined. Age, gender, White blood cell count, hemoglobin level, platelet count, ALL subtypei (B or T ALL), risk groups, surface antigens deteceted by flow cytometry, existence of TEL-AML1 mu­tations, response, remission and relapse status at 8., 15. ve 33. Days of treatment were recorded and analyzed.
Results: 15 (18%) out of 83 were identified with aberrant antigen expression. Of these patients, twelve (14.4%) had myeloid antigen coexpression (CD13 and/or CD33), two with B cell ALL had CD2 and CD7 coexpressions re­spectively, one with T cell ALL had CD19 coexpression. No significant differences were found between patients with and without myeloid antigen coexpression in terms of hemoglobin levels, white blood cells and platelet counts, responses given on the 8th, 15th, and 30th days on the treat­ment, risk groups, and relapse (p>0.05). Myeloid antigen coexpression was found in 4 of 13 patients who were iden­tified with TEL-AML1 mutation. No significant relationship was found between this mutation and coexpressions. No relapse and exitus were observed in four patients with co­expression and TEL-AML1.
Conclusion: The prognosis and clinical features shows no statistically significant relationship with the presence of neither Myeloid antigen expression nor TEL-AML1 muta­tion. We believe, however, the future studies involving big­ger sample sizes will prove to be useful in terms of more convincing results.