[Age-specific characteristics of acute myeloid leukemia karyotype].

ABSTRACT

AIM: To study distribution of some karyotype variants among patients of different age with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Distribution of balanced, normal, unbalanced, complex and monosomic karyotype among 244 patients with de novo AML in age groups 16-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61 and older was analysed. RESULTS: There is difference in frequency of balanced and complex karyotype in patients under and over 60 years. Number of AML patients with balanced aberrations including favourable variants t(8;21), t(15;17) and inv(16) falls after 60 years of age (6.7% versus 15.0% in patients aged 16-20 years; p < 0.001), while a complex karyotype occurs more frequently in AML patients at the age of 61 and older (56.8% versus 2.7% in the group 16-20 years; p < 0.001). With age, more frequently detected is the most unfavourable monosomic karyotype with aberrations similar to those in myelodysplastic syndrome (57.1% in patients aged 16-60 years and in 80.0% in the group of 61 years of age and over). CONCLUSION: Age-specific karyotype features detected may be explained by different biological mechanisms involved in leukosogenesis in young and elderly AML patients.