In chronic lymphocytic leukaemia with complex karyotype, major structural abnormalities identify a subset of patients with inferior outcome and distinct biological characteristics

Br J Haematol. 2018 Apr;181(2):229-233. doi: 10.1111/bjh.15174. Epub 2018 Apr 2.

Abstract

Complex karyotype (CK) is a negative prognostic factor in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). However, CK is a heterogeneous cytogenetic category. Unbalanced rearrangements were present in 73·3% of 90 CLL patients with CK (i.e. ≥3 chromosome aberrations in the same clone), and were associated with a shorter overall survival (P = 0·025) and a shorter time to first treatment (P = 0·043) by multivariate analysis. Patients with unbalanced rearrangements presented a distinct mRNA expression profile. In conclusion, CLL patients with unbalanced rearrangements might represent a subset of very high-risk CLL patients with distinct clinical and biological characteristics.

Keywords: chronic lymphocytic leukaemia; complex karyotype; gene expression profile; overall survival; time to first treatment.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Chromosome Aberrations*
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic*
  • Humans
  • Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell* / genetics
  • Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell* / metabolism
  • Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell* / mortality
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • RNA, Messenger* / biosynthesis
  • RNA, Messenger* / genetics
  • RNA, Neoplasm* / biosynthesis
  • RNA, Neoplasm* / genetics
  • Survival Rate

Substances

  • RNA, Messenger
  • RNA, Neoplasm