Fluorescence in situ hybridization study of TEL/AML1 fusion and other abnormalities involving TEL and AML1 genes. Correlation with cytogenetic findings and prognostic value in children with acute lymphocytic leukemia.

Abstract

The frequency of TEL/AML1 fusion is similar to that found in other populations (17%). We found that FISH analysis of AML and TEL is related to the evolution of the disease. The absence of alterations in these genes revealed by FISH could be indicative of bad prognosis, while the presence of alterations is related to a good evolution. Our results suggest that interphase FISH analysis to search for alterations in AML and TEL genes could be extremely useful for complementing cytogenetic studies and for providing additional information about the possible outcome of the disease in patients with ALL.