Prognostic significance of molecular abnormalities in acute myeloid leukemia patients with normal karyotype

Abstract

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is very heterogenous disorder in term of clinical outcome,
immunophenotypic and molecular characteristics of leukemic blasts. According recent
prognostic classification patients with normal karyotype (about 50% of all patients) are
considered as an intermediate risk group of unfavorable disease outcome. It was noticed
however, that even in this group there are patients with unfavorable prognosis. In significant
proportion of them the presence of molecular abnormalities in genes responsible for process of
control of proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic precursor cells was confirmed. It was also documented, that its presence in individual patients with intermediate cytogenetic
risk significantly affect the applied therapy results and disease outcome. Also, abnormal
expression of some genes may significantly modify the therapy results and prognosis in AML
patients. Prognostic significance of molecular abnormalities presence and abnormal expression
of chosen genes in AML patients is a topic of this paper.