XXXX mRNA in cerebrospinal fluid associated with relapse in pediatric lymphoblastic leukemia.

@entity1 @entity1778 @entity8587
BACKGROUND: The goal was to assess a possible relationship between the detection of mRNA from @entity8587 gene in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and neoplastic relapse in pediatric @entity1 being treated for lymphoid precursor cell neoplasms. @entity1 AND METHODS: Ninety-four @entity1 less than 19 years old with lymphoid precursor cell @entity1778 in hematologic remission and without central nervous system (CNS) compromise were included. Cytology, cytochemistry, cell count, and qualitative RT-PCR were performed using routine CSF samples obtained during intrathecal chemotherapy administration. The main outcome measure was clinical, radiologic, and cytologic evidence of CNS, hematologic or any other type of neoplastic relapse. RESULTS: At some time during follow-up, 28.7% of the @entity1 had a positive @entity8587 CSF test. Relapses included 10 @entity1 with isolated hematologic, 4 with isolated CNS, 1 with combined CNS and hematologic, and 1 with mediastinal relapse; the maximal follow-up period was 312 days. A statistically significant association was found between the detection of @entity8587 in CSF and CNS relapse. Adjusted hazard rate ratios of 5.04 (95% confidence interval 1.33-19.12) and 7.48 (2.34-23.93) were estimated for isolated hematologic relapse and for all types of relapses, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Although it is likely that the short follow-up period underestimated the incidence of relapse, this study was able to identify a strong association between @entity8587 mRNA detection and CNS or hematologic relapse. These findings represent a potentially novel and useful approach for subclinical disease detection.
