[Prognostic significance of telomere length in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.]

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Blank[Prognostic significance of telomere length in patients with chronic

lymphocytic leukemia.]

YQ Hou, W Xu, KR Miao, C Qiao, HY Zhu, DX Zhu, Y Zhuang, YJ Wu, JN Wang, and JY

Li

Zhongguo Shi Yan Xue Ye Xue Za Zhi, June 1, 2010; 18(3): 570-4.

Department of Hematology, Nanjing Medical University Second Hospital, Nanjing

210011, Jiangsu Province, China.

This study was aimed to explore the prognostic significance of telomere length

in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and to analyze relation of

telomere length with Binet stage, IgVH mutation status, CD38, ZAP-70 expression

as well as other clinical features. 35 CLL patients who contained 80% or more

tumor cells in the peripheral blood or bone marrow samples were selected as

objects studied, while 13 healthy donors were served as normal controls. The

telomere relative length was detected by using a real-time fluorescent

quantitative polymerase chain reaction method (qPCR); the expression of CD38 and

ZAP-70 protein were detected by flow cytometry, the IgVH mutation was detected

by multiplex PCR. The results showed that the mean telomere relative length in

CLL patients and normal controls were 0.384 and 0.443 respectively, but the

difference between them was not significant (p > 0.05). The telomere length was

significantly correlated with Binet stages and IgVH mutation status. Patients in

Binet stage B and C showed significantly shorter telomeres than those in Binet

stage A (p = 0.001). Mean telomere relative lengths in patients without IgVH

mutation were shorter than those in patients with IgVH mutation (p = 0.015). No

relation of telomere length with sex, age, ZAP-70 protein and CD38 were found (p

> 0.05). It is concluded that telomere length may have a prognostic significance

for CLL patients. Combining telomere length and IgVH mutation status may achieve

a better prognostic subclassification for CLL patients.

PMID: 20561403