Combined Cytogenetic, FISH and RT-PCR Technique in Detection of t(15;17) and Monitoring of Minimal Residual Disease in Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia

Detection of the t(15;17) or PML/RARa rearrangment is important for analysis of clinical trials involving patients with suspected acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). According to the majority of reports the translocation t(15;17)(q22;ql2–21) is detected in 70% to 100% of cases [1]. PML/RARa fusion transcript from add(15q) is beleived to play crucial role in leukemogenesis of this type of leukemia [2]. It’s presence remains the predictor of favourable prognosis and good response to modern modalities of therapy, especially ATRA [3].