C-myc protein expression has been studied in mature B-cell lymphomas and overexpression has been associated with poor prognosis. We sought to determine the prognostic significance of c-myc protein expression in B-ALL. We found ≥ 20% c-myc expression to predict risk of persistent disease in all age groups (odds ratio 7.487, p=0.013). There was no statistically significant association between c-myc expression and risk of relapse or death in our study. Routine c-myc immunostaining may help identify higher risk patients and guide management of B-ALL. Additional studies are needed to further determine the molecular mechanisms and role of c-myc expression in B-ALL.
Keywords: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia; Adult leukemia; B-ALL; C-myc; Childhood leukemia; Cytogenetics; Immunohistochemistry; Immunostaining; Prognosis; Protein expression.
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