INCIDENCE OF COMMON FUSION TRANSCRIPTS IN ADULT AND PEDIATRIC ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA (AML) CASES: EXPERIENCE OF A TERTIARY CARE RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Introduction: The incidence of common fusion transcripts in AML is 40-45%, but data from Indian sub-continent is limited. Aims & Objectives: The aim of the present study is to note the incidence of common fusion transcripts of AML1-ETO, PML-RARA and CBFβ-MYH11 in adult and pediatric AML cases. Materials & Methods: A total of 116 AML cases diagnosed on bone marrow, cytochemistry and Flow-cytometry over a period of 1.5 year were enrolled and bone marrow samples in EDTA were processed by Multiplex RT-PCR assay. Results: Of 116 cases, 96 (83%) were adult and 20 (17%) pediatric cases. A total of 39/116 (33.6%) cases showed positivity for fusion transcripts of which 28/96 (29.16%) were adult and 11/20 (55%) pediatric cases. Of the 28 positive adult cases, 14/96 (14.58%) were positive for AML1-ETO, 12/96 (12.5%) for PML-RARA and 2/96 (2.08%) for CBFβ-MYH11. In the 11 positive pediatric cases, 6/20 (30%) were positive for AML1-ETO, 3/20 (15%) for PML-RARA and 2/20 (10%) for CBFβ-MYH11. Discussion & Conclusion: The incidence of the common fusion transcripts in our pilot study is in accordance with that described in western studies. It is important to identify these transcripts as they provide useful prognostic information to the treating clinician.