Genetic diagnosis of leukemia: diagnosis of relapse and complete remission, and prediction of leukemia onset
Sugiyama, H.
Rinsho Byori. Japanese Journal of Clinical Pathology 48(2): 155-161
2000
ISSN/ISBN: 0047-1860 PMID: 10804819 Document Number: 521920
Wilms' tumor gene WT1 mRNA is a new marker of leukemic blast cells for AML, ALL, and CML. Minimal residual disease(MRD) of leukemia can be detected at frequencies as low as 1 in 10(3) to 10(4) normal bone marrow cells and 1 in 10(5) normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells by means of the quantitation of WT1 mRNA(WT1 assay) using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Thus, the WT1 assay makes it possible to rapidly assess the effectiveness of treatment and to evaluate the degree of eradication of leukemic cell in individual leukemia patients. Furthermore, WT1 assay can continuously assess the disease progression of myelodysplastic syndromes(MDS) and predict the evolution of MDS to overt AML within 6 months.