Minimal Disease Assessment in the Treatment of Children and Adolescents with Intermediate-Risk (Stage III/IV) B-cell non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Children's Oncology Group Report

2012

Warren Sanger
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402-559-6328

Children/adolescents with mature B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) have an excellent prognosis but relapses still occur. While chromosomal aberrations and/or clonal immunoglobulin (Ig) gene rearrangements may indicate risk of failure, a more universal approach was developed to detect minimal disease (MD). Children/adolescents with intermediate-risk B-NHL were treated with French-British-American/Lymphome Malins de Burkitt 96 (FAB/LMB96) B4 modified chemotherapy and rituximab. Specimens from diagnosis, end of induction (EOI), and end of therapy (EOT) were assayed for MD. Initial specimens were screened for IGHV family usage with primer pools followed by individual primers to identify MD. Thirty-two diagnostic/staging specimens screened positive with primer pools and unique IGHV family primers were identified. Two patients relapsed; first relapse (4 months from diagnosis) was MD-positive at EOI, the second (36 months from diagnosis) was MD-positive at EOT.

non-Hodgkin lymphoma, minimal residual disease, lymphoma, polymerase chain reaction, immunoglobulin rearrangements

Peer-reviewed publications in scholarly journals Published/In Press

Professionals, Students

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