Onkologie. 2015:9(1):38-42

Role of cytogenetic analysis in current management of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment

Pavel Dvořák^1,2, Petra Vohradská¹, Tomáš Votava³, Lenka Doležalová³, Petr Smíšek⁴, Zdeňka Černá³, Ivan Šubrt¹

¹ Ústav lékařské genetiky LF UK v Plzni a FN Plzeň

² Ústav biologie LF UK v Plzni

³ Oddělení hemato-onkologické, Dětská klinika FN Plzeň

⁴ Klinika dětské hematologie a onkologie FN Motol

Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia, like cancer in general, probably arises from interactions between exogenous or endogenous

exposures, genetic susceptibility, and chance. This multistep process begins sometimes even during prenatal period of life. Abnormal

response to a common infection remains the strongest candidate for causal exposure. More precise risk stratification and personalized

chemotherapy based on the biological characteristics of leukemic cells and hosts (prognostic and/or predictive genetic markers, minimal

residual disease monitoring) have pushed the cure rate of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia to near 90 %. However with the exception

of infant leukemia, which still bears a dismal prognosis. Many new genetic techniques are approaching to clinical praxis mostly

based on microarray or next-generation sequencing techniques. The strong point of well-established cytogenetic analysis remains in

the possibility of a complex view to the whole karyotype of pathological cells. This kind of view allows us to understand the origin of

genetic abnormalities and diversity of cancer cells in the form of evolving new subclones. The main goal of the presented case reports

is to bring attention to this specific advantage of cytogenetic analysis.

Keywords: acute lymphoblastic leukemia, prognostic stratification, cytogenetics

Published: March 10, 2015  Show citation