Detection of minimal residual disease in leukemic patients with the t(10;14)(q24;q11) chromosomal translocation

Early relapse and minimal residual disease during clinical remission was examined in two patients having acute T-cell leukemia/lymphoma with the t(10;14)(q24;q11) chromosomal translocation. Molecular probes which can detect T-cell receptor alpha/delta clonal rearrangements and a TCL-3 probe which can detect the clonal rearrangement due to the chromosomal translocation failed to detect the leukemic clones during clinical remission by Southern filter hybridization. However, application of the polymerase chain reaction technology in amplification of the t(10;14)(q24;q11) chromosomal juncture during clinical remission permitted us to increase the detection level of neoplastic cells up to 1 leukemic cell/125,000 normal cells using 1 microgram of DNA. Amplified junction fragments were detected in both patients. In one case, during the period of clinical remission no amplified fragments were detected.