OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between the clinical outcome of childhood @entity981 and the status of minimal @entity66 after termination of therapy. METHODS: A total of 18 @entity1 with @entity981 were studied. Eleven cases were treated with chemotherapy, the other 7 with autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (ABSCT) or autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT). The outcome of the 18 @entity1 was obtained by clinical follow-up. @entity41 was detected by means of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction analysis. RESULTS: @entity41 was detected in 9 @entity1 after completion of therapy. Three out of the 9 @entity1 relapsed within 3 to 6 months. Among the other 9 @entity1 with no detectable minimal @entity66 , no one relapsed. CONCLUSIONS: PCR detection of minimal @entity66 after termination of therapy can identify @entity1 at risk for relapse in future. @entity41 that cannot be detected after termination of therapy may be one of the important factors for long-term disease-free survival.

Detection of minimal XXXX in leukemia using polymerase chain reaction and restriction analysis.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['children', 'patients'] @entity981 :: ('MESH:D054198', 'Disease') :: ['acute lymphoblastic leukemia'] @entity66 :: ('MESH:D004194', 'Disease') :: ['residual disease'] @entity41 :: ('MESH:D018365', 'Disease') :: ['Minimal residual disease']
@entity66 :: (MESH:D004194,Disease) :: ['residual disease']
