13q14 Deletion size and number of deleted cells both influence prognosis in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

✍ Scribed by Michele Dal Bo; Francesca Maria Rossi; Davide Rossi; Clara Deambrogi; Francesco Bertoni; Ilaria Del Giudice; Giuseppe Palumbo; Mauro Nanni; Andrea Rinaldi; Ivo Kwee; Erika Tissino; Giorgia Corradini; Alessandro Gozzetti; Emanuele Cencini; Marco Ladetto; Angela Maria Coletta; Fabrizio Luciano; Pietro Bulian; Gabriele Pozzato; Luca Laurenti; Francesco Forconi; Francesco Di Raimondo; Roberto Marasca; Giovanni Del Poeta; Gianluca Gaidano; Robin Foà; Anna Guarini; Valter Gattei

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 434 KB
• Volume: 50
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1045-2257
• DOI: 10.1002/gcc.20885

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Deletion at 13q14 is detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in about 50% of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Although CLL with 13q deletion as the sole cytogenetic abnormality (del13q‐only) usually have good prognosis, more aggressive clinical courses are documented for del13q‐only CLL carrying higher percentages of 13q deleted nuclei. Moreover, deletion at 13q of different sizes have been described, whose prognostic significance is still unknown. In a multi‐institutional cohort of 342 del13q‐only cases and in a consecutive unselected cohort of 265 CLL, we investigated the prognostic significance of 13q deletion, using the 13q FISH probes locus‐specific identifier (LSI)‐D13S319 and LSI‐RB1 that detect the DLEU2/MIR15A/MIR16‐1 and RB1 loci, respectively. Results indicated that both percentage of deleted nuclei and presence of larger deletions involving the RB1 locus cooperated to refine the prognosis of del13q‐only cases. In particular, CLL carrying <70% of 13q deleted nuclei with deletions not comprising the RB1 locus were characterized by particularly long time‐to‐treatment. Conversely, CLL with 13q deletion in <70% of nuclei but involving the RB1 locus, or CLL carrying 13q deletion in ≥70% of nuclei, with or without RB1 deletions, collectively experienced shorter time‐to‐treatment. A revised flowchart for the prognostic FISH assessment of del13q‐only CLL, implying the usage of both 13q probes, is proposed. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.