CHRONIC GRANULOCYTIC-LEUKEMIA - RECENT INFORMATION ON PATHOGENESIS, DIAGNOSIS, AND DISEASE MONITORING

Current evidence strongly implicates the chromosome translocation t(9; 22)(q34;q11.2) as the cause of chronic granulocytic leukemia, Therefor e, identification of this genetic abnormality through either cytogenet ic or molecular methods has become a requirement for diagnosis, Intens e investigation of the mechanism by which t(9;22) transforms normal he matopoietic progenitors into malignant cells is ongoing, Recent advanc es in molecular diagnostic methods have allowed refined qualitative an d quantitative methods of detecting t(9;22), which are useful for moni toring response status and detecting minimal residual disease, The cur rent understanding of the pathogenesis of chronic granulocytic leukemi a and the application of new diagnostic methods are discussed.