Leukemia caused by chimeric oncogenes

Abstract

Introduction: The involving of chimeric oncogenes in the molecular-genetic mechanism of leukemia’s occurrence is currently discussed a lot. Their activity is explained by the transformation of the hematopoietic cells into leukemic cells using different kind of genetic disorders. It involves the disruption of a normal survival, proliferation and differentiation of the hematopoietic’s progenitors. As an example of these chimeric oncogenes is the BCR-ABL gene, which is responsable for the creation of an abnormal protein kinase and is has been proved that almost 95% of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia patients have this gene in their leukemic cells. Therefore, it is important to realise that medical examination of patients with hematologic malignancies should involve cytogenetic technics (RT-PCR qualitative or quantitative, FISH) as an essential method of diagnostic as they play a major role in establishing a more targeted treatement.

Materials and methods: The current study includes 704 pacients followed at the CHU Amiens, France with a suspicion for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia during 2012-2015. Their diagnostic was put based on their blood test, myelogram analyze and finally by the RT-PCR qualitative method, which played the most precise role in establishing the disease. The statistical used method is the descriptive one, since we made our study based on their medical records and their results.

Discussion results: After making this study, we have obtained the following data: it included 374 men (53%) and 330 women (47%). The average age when this investigation method was applied is 62.67 years, including 63.14 years for males and 62.15 years for females. 109 patients (15.42%) have presented a positive diagnostic: 96 patients (13.63%) had a M-BCR-ABL transcript and 13 patients (1.84%) had a m-BCR-ABL transcript. In 591 cases (83.94%) the BCR-ABL trasncript was absent, but in 4 cases (0.56%) the transcript could not be identified because of the extracted ARN’s bad quality.

Conclusion: In the end, after analysing this study’s results, we can conclude that most part of leukemias can be certainly confirmed by using RT-PCR. For the establishment of a leukemia diagnostic we use RT-PCR qualitative, but for the disease’s evolution we practice RT-PCR quantitative. Also we have observed the role of BCR-ABL oncogene in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia’s etiology and the variety of regions where chromosomal translocation may occur. Therefore using molecular-genetic techniques in the diagnosis of leukemia has a fundamental significance for the development of a targeted treatment.

Key words: Chimeric oncogenes, BCR-ABL, RT-PCR.