Introduction: About half of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) adult patients have no cytogenetic abnormalities as a main determinant of complete remission after treatment, so other markers are needed such as FLT3-ITD (Fms-like Tyrosine kinase3-internal tandem duplication) mutations in patients with normal karyotype. The objective of this study was assessing the frequency of FLT3-ITD mutations and its relation with complete remission in different FAB (French- American- British) and cytogenetic subgroups of AML patients who had been hospitalized at Tehran Imam Khomeini Hospital, hematology ward.
Methods: The current study, was a cross sectional descriptive study which was performed during the years 2007-2008. Population frame were consecutive patients whose diseases were confirmed and who had been hospitalizedin Tehran Imam Khomeini Hospital, hematology ward. Contemporary, flowcytometry, cytogenetic and chromosomal studies were performed for the cytogenetic subgroup assessment and to investigate the presence of FLT3-ITD mutation. Finally, complete remission achievement after induction chemotherapy were assessed. The obtained data was entered onto the information forms and analyzed by statistical tests.
Results: Out of 40 patients who participated in this study, 18 (45%) were female and 22 (55%) were male. The median age of the patients with mutation was 33 years of age, and the ones without mutation were 39.5. M1, M2and M4 FAB subgroups, with respectively 60, 37.5 and 35.7%, had the most occurrence of mutation. There was no significant relationship between mutation and the FAB subgroups (P=0.45). Favorable, intermediate and adverse cytogenetic risk groups had respectively 10, 37 and 66.7% mutations and 69.2% of the patients were in the normal karyotype group. Seventeen (42.5%) of the 40 patients achieved complete remission. 17.6% of them had mutations. There was no relationship between mutation and complete remission (P=0.085).
Conclusion: There was no relationship between thepresence ofFLT3-ITD mutation and complete remission achievement following chemotherapy.