Prognostic value of chromosome aberrations in childhood acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL)

Cytogenetic analyses were performed on 43 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) before starting the therapy. Evaluable metaphases were obtained in 26 cases (60.46 %). The prognostic value of the initial chromosome picture and that of the different non-cytogenetic prognostic features was studied. In 14 out of 26 children (53.85 %) clonal chromosomal aberrations were found. The prognosis in the normal and normal/abnormal groups was significantly better than in patients with only abnormal cells. They found the remission rate of the diploid and hyperdiploid groups to be better and the survival duration significantly longer than in the pseudodiploid patients. Studying the correlation between the cytogenetic and non-cytogenetic findings the diploidy and hyperdiploidy seems to associate with low risk factors, while pseudodiploidy with high risk factors. When opposite cytogenetic and non-cytogenetic prognostic parameters were associated, the outcome of disease was determined by the cytogenetic picture. In eight patients out of the 14 children with abnormal karyotype various specific aberrations were found. While patients with specific translocations had a poor prognosis, the prognosis of the patients with 6q- was relatively good. The findings support the necessity of chromosome examination in all the children with ALL at diagnosis in order to distinguish the poor risk patients from the good ones.