1,721,007 research outputs found

    Smoking and the risk of acute myeloid leukaemia in cytogenetic subgroups

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    Cytogenetically-defined subgroups of acute myeloid leukaemia have distinct biologies, clinical features and outcomes. Evidence from therapy-related leukaemia suggests that chromosomal abnormalities are also markers of exposure. Our results suggest that the smoking-associated risk for acute myeloid leukaemia is restricted to the t(8;21)(q22;q22) subgroup. This supports the hypothesis that distinct cytogenetic subgroups of acute myeloid leukaemia have separate aetiologies

    Age-specific incidence rates for cytogenetically-defined subtypes of acute myeloid leukaemia

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    It is generally considered that most cancers arise following the accumulation of several genetic events and that as a consequence its incidence increases with age. We report a cytogenetic subgroup of acute myeloid leukaemia whose incidence is independent of age. This observation indicates that acute myeloid leukaemia can develop via multiple pathways, and underlines the importance of cytogenetics in understanding this disease

    Breakpoints of variant 9;22 translocations in chronic myeloid leukemia locate preferentially in the CG-richest regions of the genome

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    From 5% to 10% of 9;22 translocations in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) are reported to occur in variant form, that is, with the involvement of other regions of the genome in 3-way or more rearrangements. The literature indicates that the alternative breakpoints are not distributed randomly in the genome but show hotspots. We present data on 289 unpublished cases of CML with variant 9;22 translocations having a total of 342 variant breakpoints, the largest independent series to date. We found that the distribution of breaks was in loose agreement with the literature but that some new hotspots were identified; furthermore, some published hotspots were not fully supported by our data. Moreover, when our 342 variant breakpoints were plotted against profiles of CG heterogeneity in the genome, a significant positive correlation between breakpoint locations and CG composition was observed. In an ancillary study, we compared the frequency of variant t(9;22) with that of variants of t(15;17) associated with acute promyelocytic leukemia (AML M3). We found that the frequency of the former, 9.3%, was significantly higher than that of the latter, 2.6%

    Genetic polymorphisms in microsomal epoxide hydrolase and susceptibility to adult acute myeloid leukaemia with defined cytogenetic abnormalities

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    Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) cases with different chromosomal abnormalities may reflect different aetiologies. Benzene exposure, from a number of sources including smoking, is one risk factor for AML. Individual susceptibility to benzene may depend on differences in expression of metabolizing enzymes. We tested the hypothesis that smoking as well as genetic polymorphisms in the microsomal epoxide hydrolase gene (HYL1), an enzyme involved in benzene metabolism, could be risk factors for AML with defined chromosomal abnormalities. Twenty-six AML cases with ?7/del(7q) and 24 cases with t(8;21), as well as 43 cases with normal karyotype and 155 age-, sex- and residence-matched controls, were drawn from a large case–control study on adult acute leukaemia. Current smoking was significantly associated with the cytogenetic abnormalities t(8;21) or ?7/del(7q) (OR = 4·9; 95%CI = 2·1–11·5) but not with a normal karyotype, relative to individuals who were not current smokers. A putative high activity HYL1 phenotype [exon 3, residue 113 (Tyr/Tyr) and exon 4, residue 139 (His/Arg or Arg/Arg)] was associated with a significantly increased AML risk in men with ?7/del(7q) or t(8;21) (OR = 4·4; 95%CI 1·1–17·0) but not with a normal karyotype. This suggests that AML cases with defined chromosomal abnormalities could be related to specific carcinogen exposures and, furthermore, suggests that smoking and genetic polymorphisms in HYL1 could be risk factors for AML with ?7/del(7q) or t(8;21)

    Derivative chromosome 9 deletions are a significant feature of childhood Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

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    Deletions from the derivative chromosome 9, der(9), of the translocation, t(9;22)(q34;q11), at the site of the ABL/BCR fusion gene, have been demonstrated by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH), in both Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). In CML they occur in 10?15% of cases and appear to indicate a worse prognosis, whereas in ALL, the situation is unclear. This study presents the findings of dual fusion FISH used to detect such deletions in a series of 27 BCR/ABL-positive childhood ALL patients. Metaphase FISH was essential for the accurate interpretation of interphase FISH signal patterns. Three cases (11%) had a single fusion signal, resulting from deletions of the der(9). Three other patients with variant translocations and one with an insertion, also had a single fusion, but with no evidence of deletions. Gain of a fusion in approximately one-third of patients indicated a second Ph, which appears to be a diagnostic marker of Ph-positive ALL. This study shows that the incidence of deletions from the der(9) in childhood ALL is at least as high as that reported for CML

    Population-based demographic study of karyotypes in 1709 patients with adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia

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    Few large demographic studies of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are derived from population-based registries. Demographic and karyotypic data were provided for AML cases from two regional leukemia registry databases in Scotland and the Northern Region of England. A population-based dataset was compiled, comprising 1709 patients aged >16 years (1235 North England/474 Scotland patients). The most common cytogenetic abnormalities involved chromosomes 5 and/or 7 (17%). Patients with the following abnormal chromosome 5/7 combinations: -5, del(5q), -5/-7 and del(5q)/-7 represented a significantly older population (P<0.01, ANOVA). t(8;21) was the only 'favourable' karyotype found in older age. Karyotypic complexity varied within chromosome 5/7 combination groups; those containing -5, -5/-7, -5/del(7q), del(5q)/-7 or del(5q)/del(7q) combinations were significantly more frequently complex than those containing -7 and del(7q) (P<0.01, 2 test). Additional recurring cytogenetic abnormalities within complex karyotypes containing chromosome 5/7 combinations included (in order of frequency), abnormalities of chromosomes 17, 12, 3 and 18. Complex karyotypes not involving chromosomes 5 or 7 represented 30% of all complex karyotypes, occurred in younger patients than those involving chromosomes 5 and 7, and frequently included additional trisomy 8 (26%). In conclusion, we describe subgroups within adverse karyotypes, with different demographics, degree of complexity and additional chromosome abnormalities
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