Premature chromosome condensation as a predictive indicator of relapse in children and adolescents with acute leukemia: initial observations.

Abstract Premature chromosome condensation has been used to determine a proliferative potential index (PPI) in a study of children in leukemia remission at varying times during the disease. Values 35% and greater were considered predictive of relapse. Such values preceded relapse with a mean of 5 months in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients who had previously relapsed and in myeloid leukemia patients. ALL patients followed from diagnosis and children off therapy had fluctuating and false predictive PPI values preceding long courses of continued remission. This study suggests that the PPI as a predictive indicator for relapse may be useful for patients with ALL who have previously relapsed and for patients with myeloid leukemias. Future exploration to further evaluate this mechanism of prediction is to be attempted by investigating the ability to obtain similar and more detailed information through the use of peripheral blood rather than bone marrow samples.