@article{3053989,
    title = "Evaluation at single cell level of residual Philadelphia negative
hemopoietic stem cells in chronic phase CML patients",
    author = "Akel, S and Kolialexi, A and Mavrou, A and Metaxotou, C and Loukopoulos, and D and Yataganas, X",
    journal = "CANCER GENETICS AND CYTOGENETICS",
    year = "2000",
    volume = "122",
    number = "2",
    pages = "93-100",
    publisher = "EXCERPTA MEDICA INC-ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC",
    issn = "0165-4608",
    doi = "10.1016/S0165-4608(00)00280-6",
    abstract = "In chronic myeloid leukemia, accurate determination of Ph- Hemopoietic
stem cells (HSC) in peripheral blood (PB), bone marrow (BM) and
leukapheresis products is important for the selection of patients for
whom mobilization, collection, and autografting of Ph- HSC are
envisaged. To this effect, the BCR/ABL fusion was assessed at the single
cell level in 25 sets of PB and BM samples using dual-color I-FISH in
immunophenotyped CD34(+) cells and RT-PCR of individual CFU-GM colonies.
In 15 cases found to be 100% Ph+, the respective BCR/ABL gene was
absent in 30% of CD34(+) cells, while the respective transcripts could
not be identified in 17% of CFU-GM. The mean percentage of BCR/ABL(-)
CD34(+) cells and CFU-GM cells was higher (38% and 29%, respectively)
in untreated patients than in treated patients (24% and 7%,
respectively). In eight cases with cytogenetic response (CgR), the
percentage of Ph- metaphases correlated with the level of BCR/ABL(-)
colonies in BM and PB and with the proportion of BCR/ABL(-) CD34(+)
cells in the BM. Immunophenotyping and FISH was fast, easy, always
informative, and quantitative for the BCR/ABL- CD34(+) cells. Our
results show that (a) at early diagnosis a high frequency of BCR/ABL(-)
HSC circulate in the PB and that Ph- hematopoiesis is not completely
suppressed: (b) although normal clonogenic cells decline rapidly within
a few months after diagnosis, appreciable numbers of normal CD34(+)
cells survive in chronic phase, especially in patients with CgR. (C)
2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved."
}