BCR-ABL1 transcripts (MR^4.5) at post-transplant 3 months as an early predictor for long-term outcomes in chronic myeloid leukemia.

ABSTRACT:

Background/aims

The aim of this study was to identify the role of BCR-ABL1 transcript level as a predictor for post-transplant relapse and outcome in patients who underwent allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) for chronic phase (CP) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

Methods

Of 101 patients receiving allograft in CML CP, 85 had available quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction data at post-transplant 3 months. These patients were divided into two groups according to molecular response (MR^4.5), defined as a BCR-ABL1 transcript level ? 0.0032% on the international scale, at 3 months based on receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of relapse.

Results

The 4-year overall survival and event-free survival (EFS) were 80.6% and 57.3%, respectively, and the cumulative incidence of relapse at 4 years was 29.6% after a median follow-up of 126.4 months. We performed multivariate analyses including potential variables to evaluate the early predictive role of MR^4.5 at 3 months and found that MR^4.5 at 3 months was associated with a higher EFS (p = 0.028) and showed a trend for a lower relapse rate (p = 0.089).

Conclusions

our results imply that frequent molecular monitoring and immune suppressive therapy modulation are required for patients without reduction of BCR-ABL1 transcripts to this level after SCT.

SUBMITTER: Lee SE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5214723 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature