Molecular discrimination between relapsed and secondary acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Proposal for an easy strategy

Abstract

We propose a stepwise molecular approach for discrimination between relapsed and secondary ALL based on the rapid and cheap heteroduplex PCR technique, including mixing of clonal (homoduplex) PCR products identified at diagnosis and at relapse. Direct sequencing and comparative sequence analysis of IGH gene rearrangements at diagnosis and at relapse should be regarded as an ultimate standard, but can be limited to the rare cases, in which no identical clonal PCR products at diagnosis and at relapse were detected with the mixed heteroduplex PCR analyses.