Comparison of the Transcriptomic Signature of Pediatric Vs. Adult CML and Normal Bone Marrow Stem Cells

IntroductionPediatric chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) accounts for 10 to 15% of children with myeloid leukemia and 2 to 9% of all pediatric leukemias. Prior to the discovery of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) such as imatinib, stem cell transplantation was the only curative treatment for both adults and children with CML. However, due to the small numbers of patients, standardized treatment approaches for pediatric CML have not been established. There are several unique characteristics of CML diagnosed in children and adolescents, and young adults (AYA; 16-29 years), compared to adults. Children and AYA with CML present with a higher white blood count and have larger spleens, higher peripheral blast counts, and lower hemoglobin levels, suggesting that the biology of pediatric CML is different than adult CML. In addition, potential side effects of TKIs unique to pediatric CML patients include impaired bone growth, fertility and immune function, however none have been extensively studied. We hypothesize that the differences in clinical presentation of pediatric CML patients are due to unique molecular characteristics that are absent in adult CML patients. To test this hypothesis, we studied the transcriptomic signature of pediatric CD34+ CML cells compared to adult CML and normal age-matched bone marrow CD34+ cells.MethodsCD34+ cells were isolated from pediatric CML (n=7), adult CML (n=8), pediatric normal (n=2) and adult normal (n=3) bone marrow samples. Total RNA was isolated...
Source: Blood - Category: Hematology Authors: Tags: 631. Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: Biology and Pathophysiology, excluding Therapy: Poster III Source Type: research