Summary: | Background: Monosomy 7 (−7) or deletion in its long arm [del(7q)] is among the most common chromosomal abnormalities in myeloid malignancies. There are prognostic variations between −7 and del(7q) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Aim: To describe the clinical characteristics, response to treatment, and survival of patients with primary AML and MDS having −7 or del(7q) detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Patients and methods: The study was conducted on 53 patients with primary AML and MDS. They were tested for chromosome 7 abnormality using FISH technique. Results: Thirty-one patients had chromosome 7 abnormality and 22 did not. Lower complete remission and higher death rates were observed in patients with −7 (47.6% and 62%, respectively) when compared to patients with del(7q) (70% and 40%, respectively) with no significant difference (p = 0.218 and 0.101, respectively).The median overall survival (OS) of patients with −7, del(7q) and normal chromosome 7 were 32.0, 43.0 and 50.0 months, respectively, with significant statistical difference (p = 0.001). This difference was evident between patients with −7 and those with normal chromosome 7 (p = 0.001), and less evident between patients with −7 and those with del(7q) (p = 0.021). Conclusion: Chromosome 7 analysis has clear impact on the outcome of myeloid malignancies. The prognostic variations between −7 and del(7q) is attributed to multiple factors. Cases with del(7q) have better outcome than cases with −7. FISH provides a powerful tool for detecting and monitoring patients with chromosome 7 abnormalities. Keywords: Chromosome 7, Monosomy 7, del(7q), Myeloid malignancies, FISH
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