Flow cytometry and IG/TCR quantitative PCR for minimal residual disease quantitation in acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a French multicenter prospective study on behalf of the FRALLE, EORTC and GRAALL

Leukemia. 2013 Feb;27(2):370-6. doi: 10.1038/leu.2012.234. Epub 2012 Aug 16.

Abstract

Minimal residual disease (MRD) quantification is widely used for therapeutic stratification in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). A robust, reproducible, sensitivity of at least 0.01% has been achieved for IG/TCR clonal rearrangements using allele-specific quantitative PCR (IG/TCR-QPCR) within the EuroMRD consortium. Whether multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC) can reach such inter-center performance in ALL MRD monitoring remains unclear. In a multicenter study, MRD was measured prospectively on 598 follow-up bone marrow samples from 102 high-risk children and 136 adult ALL patients, using IG/TCR-QPCR and 4/5 color MFC. At diagnosis, all 238 patients (100%) had at least one suitable MRD marker with 0.01% sensitivity, including 205/238 samples (86%) by using IG/TCR-QPCR and 223/238 samples (94%) by using MFC. QPCR and MFC were evaluable in 495/598 (83%) samples. Qualitative results (<0.01% or ≥0.01%) concurred in 96% of samples and overall positivity (including <0.01% and nonquantifiable positivity) was concurrent in 84%. MRD values ≥0.01% correlated highly (r(2)=0.87) and 69% clustered within half-a-log(10). QPCR and MFC can therefore be comparable if properly standardized, and are highly complementary. MFC strategies will benefit from a concerted approach, as does molecular MRD monitoring, and will contribute significantly to the achievement of 100% MRD informativity in adult and pediatric ALL.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • DNA, Neoplasm / genetics*
  • Female
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Gene Rearrangement*
  • Genes, Immunoglobulin / genetics*
  • Genes, T-Cell Receptor / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Neoplasm, Residual / diagnosis*
  • Neoplasm, Residual / genetics
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / diagnosis
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / genetics*
  • Prognosis
  • Prospective Studies
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction*
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Survival Rate

Substances

  • DNA, Neoplasm