Published online 7 July 2009
Haematologica, Vol 94, Issue 8, 1135-1150 doi:10.3324/haematol.2008.004267
Copyright © 2009 by Ferrata Storti Foundation
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Béné, M. C.
Right arrow Articles by Kaeda, J. S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Béné, M. C.
Right arrow Articles by Kaeda, J. S.

Acute Leukemia

How and why minimal residual disease studies are necessary in leukemia: a review from WP10 and WP12 of the European LeukaemiaNet

Marie C. Béné1, Jaspal S. Kaeda2

1 Immunologie, CHU & Nancy Université, France
2 Departamento de Hematologia, Centro Hospitalar de Coimbra, Portugal

Correspondence: Marie Christine Béné, Immunology, CHU & Faculté de Médecine de Nancy, Nancy Université, 9 allée du Morvan, 54500 Vandoeuvre les Nancy, France. E-mail:marie-christine.bene{at}medecine.uhp-nancy.fr/kaeda.jaspal{at}gmail.com

Resistance to therapeutic agents is a major factor in the failure of cancer treatments. In leukemia, the resistant cells remaining in the bone marrow and/or peripheral blood constitute minimal residual disease and are detectable by highly sensitive assays when the patient appears to be in complete remission. Early detection of the expansion of residual cells permits clinical intervention with the aim of reversing the proliferation of resistant leukemic cells. Therefore, accurate and precise measurement of minimal residual disease can greatly enhance optimization of oncology patients' clinical management. This notion is supported by a large body of data among chronic myeloid leukemia patients, but minimal residual disease detection and monitoring is increasingly applied to other types of leukemia, and is starting to be a factor in decision-making for some therapeutic trials in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Here, from the solid ground of minimal residual disease detection in chronic myeloid leukemia, the current state of the art and development of molecular techniques in other leukemias and the growing field of multiparameter flow cytometry are reviewed in two separate parts reporting on the respective advances, advantages and pitfalls of these emerging methods.

Key words: minimal residual disease, leukemia, flow cytometry, standardization, monitoring.