Prognostic significance of genetic markers in chronic myelogenous leukemiapatients after bone marrow transplantation

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a malignant disease of hematopoietic stem cell with a biphasic or triphasic clinical course and most often, with a fatal outcome. Significant progress in improving outcome for patients wi th CML has been achieved over past years. This can be attributed to marked improvement in therapeutic protocols and increased use of bone marrow trans plantation (BMT) which remains the most effective option for long-term dise ase control of patient with CML. The residual leukemic activity in patients after BMT remains a central clinical question. To effectively monitor mini mal residual disease leukemic activity after BMT, molecular genetic techniq ues are currently utilized in conjunction with cytogenetic assays. Because the clinical significance of detection minimal residual disease in CML rema ins to be determined, we performed cytogenetic analysis and PCR amplificati on technique in 37 Ph+ CML patients. All patients received transplants for CML in Bratislava between years 1992 and 1999. Our results suggest that PCR positivity after transplant is of limited prognostic significance for part icular individuals and can be used to identified groups of individuals at e levated risk of relapse.