In vitro cellular drug resistance adds prognostic information to other known risk-factors in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Leuk Res. 2011 Apr;35(4):472-8. doi: 10.1016/j.leukres.2010.09.001. Epub 2010 Oct 18.

Abstract

Leukemic cells from 230 children with newly diagnosed B-cell precursor ALL were tested for in vitro drug resistance to a panel of anti-cancer drugs. Minimal residual disease (MRD) was measured by RQ-PCR. During follow-up, 24 relapses occurred in the 159 children with MRD <0.1% day 29. The risk of any relapse was correlated to vincristine and doxorubicin resistance, with a relative risk of 3.7 (95% CI 1.3-10.5; p=0.016) for patients resistant to both drugs. There was a significant correlation also for the subgroup with extra-medullary relapses. Our findings indicate that analysis of drug resistance can add prognostic information to other known risk-factors including MRD.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use
  • Bone Marrow Cells / drug effects*
  • Bone Marrow Cells / metabolism
  • Bone Marrow Cells / pathology
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Chromosome Aberrations
  • Doxorubicin / pharmacology
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple*
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm*
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Neoplasm, Residual / diagnosis
  • Neoplasm, Residual / genetics
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / drug therapy
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / genetics
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / pathology
  • Prednisolone / pharmacology
  • Prognosis
  • Risk Factors
  • Vincristine / pharmacology

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Vincristine
  • Doxorubicin
  • Prednisolone