T. Prelog
Klinični oddelek za hematologijo in onkologijo, Pediatrična klinika Ljubljana, Univerzitetni klinični center Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenija

J. Jazbec
Klinični oddelek za hematologijo in onkologijo, Pediatrična klinika Ljubljana, Univerzitetni klinični center Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenija

Abstract

Acute leukaemia is the most common paediatric malignant disease, representing 20–30 % of all childhood malignancies. In general it can be divided into acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and acute nonlymphoblastic leukaemia. The first is much more common and represents 75 to 80 % of all cases of acute leukaemia. Since there has been great progress in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in the last two decades, it is expected that, in future, much attention will be focused on the intensity of treatment and limiting the side effects of therapy. This could be achieved through assessment of disease response to therapy and the determination of minimal residual disease. We present a summary of the methodology for determining minimum residual disease and its possible clinical applications.

Key words: Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, minimal residual disease, flow cytometry, polymerase chain reaction.