Genomics of childhood ALL

The genomics of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has been extensively investigated, and multiple distinctive subtypes have been defined on the basis of cytogenetic and molecular characterizations, each with its own pattern of clinical and prognostic characteristics.[1,2] The discussion of the genomics of childhood ALL below is divided into three sections: the genomic alterations associated with B-ALL, followed by the genomic alterations associated with T-ALL and mixed phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL). Figures 1, 2, and 4 illustrate the distribution of B-ALL (stratified by National Cancer Institute [NCI] standard- and high-risk B-ALL) and T-ALL cases by cytogenetic/molecular subtypes.[1]

Throughout this section, the percentages of genomic subtypes from among all B-ALL and T-ALL cases are derived primarily from a report describing the genomic characterization of patients treated on several Children's Oncology Group (COG) and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (SJCRH) clinical trials. Percentages by subtype are presented for NCI standard-risk and NCI high-risk patients with B-ALL (up to age 18 years).[1]