The prognostic significance of hematogones in childhood B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

BackgroundRecent studies have demonstrated hematogones (HGs) expansion to be associated with favorable outcomes in hematological diseases, especially in patients with acute myeloid leukemia and patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common form of cancer in children. As of now, minimal residual disease (MRD) remains the most compelling independent prognostic factor in childhood ALL. There is need for more prognostic tools for evaluating relapse risk. ProcedureThe goal of this study was to assess the prognostic value of HGs on relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in childhood ALL. In this prospective cohort study, a total of 122 subjects with definitive diagnosis of precursor B lymphoblastic leukemia were evaluated. Flow cytometric HG detection was performed in bone marrow aspirates after induction and consolidation therapy. ResultsThe median follow-up period of patients was 35.5 +/- 9.4 (SD) months. Patients who had at least 1.0% HGs had a significantly better RFS (p = .023). Moreover, univariate and multivariate analyses confirmed that positive HGs were independently associated with longer RFS (unadjusted model: hazard ratio = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.12-0.91, p = .031; adjusted model: hazard ratio = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.11-0.82, p = .020). ConclusionsAlong with the role of MRD, our study shows the significance of HGs as an independent prognostic factor. The results indicate the independent prognostic value of HGs on RFS after adjustment for other prognostic factors, and can be beneficial for risk stratification and treatment modifications amongst pediatric B-cell ALL patients.