Lack of bcr rearrangement in juvenile chronic myeloid leukemia

Juvenile chronic myeloid leukemia (JCML) is an unusual subtype of children's leukemia, characterized by unique clinical presentation. Recent studies revealed several biological features, distinguishing from those observed in adult type chronic myeloid leukemia (ACML). The majority of ACML cases are characterized by the presence of an hybrid bcr-abl rearranged gene. In an effort to elucidate the molecular basis of this unusual leukemia we looked for bcr rearrangement in six JCML cases. No bcr rearrangement was identified in any of the analyzed samples. Together with previous studies from JCML cases, JCML has a different mechanism of leukomogenesis from ACML.