Evaluation of nucleosomal deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) fragments as a predictive marker of therapy in acute myloid leukemia (AML) patients

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a clonal disease of hematopoiesis and is considered as the most common acute leukemia in adults. Several prognostic parameters have a major role in predicting prognosis in newly diagnosed AML patients. In particular, age, cytogenetics and early blast clearance have been found to be significantly related to complete remission rate and survival . Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and leukocyte number are further markers which are relevant for prognosis. However, there has been growing interest to use additional and more precise markers to estimate the therapy response as early as possible .The present study was carried out on 21 newly diagnosed AML patients aged between (5-58) and 14 apparently healthy individuals aged between (20-55) as a control from April 2008 to June 2010. The denovo AML cases were admitted at (Hematology & Oncology ) Unit of Internal medicine department, Faculty of medicine,Zagazig University. All studied patients proved to have (AML) by history,clinical examination, radiological investigations and laboratory investigations that included (CBC,Bone marrow aspiration ,Bone marrow biobsy if needed, immunophenotyping ,cytogenetic analysis,LDH ,LFT,KF and Nucleosomal DNA Fragment).Patients are classified as complete response and no response according to their remission criteria that includes normal TLC(absolute neutrophil count >1,000/mm3 and platelet count >100,000/mm3) and normocellular marrow with less than 5% blasts in the marrow.