Intermediate prognosis of 6q deletion in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

[Guest guest]

BlankIntermediate prognosis of 6q deletion in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

DM Wang, KR Miao, L Fan, HR Qiu, C Fang, DX Zhu, HX Qiu, W Xu, and JY Li

Leuk Lymphoma, February 1, 2011; 52(2): 230-7.

Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical

University, Jiangsu Province Hospital, Nanjing, China.

Cytogenetic features have an important role in the definition of distinct

disease subsets in CLL. The deletion of 6q is known to occur at a relatively low

frequency in CLL, and the detailed analysis of hematologic and clinical features

of patients with CLL with 6q deletion is limited. To verify the incidence and

prognostic significance of 6q deletion in Chinese patients with CLL,

fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used in 240 patients with CLL.

del(6q23) was found in 18 patients (7.5%), and only five patients had deletion

in 6q23 as the sole abnormality. Strong correlations between del(6q23) and

clinical parameters were not found. A difference in terms of survival in

patients with del(6q23) as compared with patients without this anomaly was not

able to be demonstrated. However, a significant difference was found when

comparing the del(6q23) group with the del(17p13) or del(11q22.3) group

(p?=?0.023), or isolated del(13q14) group (p?=?0.019). Our findings place the

del(6q23) cytogenetic subset of CLL in an intermediate prognosis position

between patients with del(11q22.3) or del(17p13), and patients with isolated

del(13q14). FISH probes to detect deletions of 6q might be useful in clinical

practice in the work-up of patients with CLL.

PMID: 21281237