Relationship between minimal residual disease measured by multiparametric flow cytometry prior to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and outcome in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Abstract

The presence of minimal residual disease measured by multiparametric flow cytometry identified a group of patients with a 9.5-fold higher risk of relapse and a 3.2-fold higher risk of death than those without minimal residual disease. This study supports the strong relationship between pre-transplantation minimal residual disease measured by multiparametric flow cytometry and outcome following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and concur with the results of previous studies using polymerase chain reaction techniques.