Monitoring minimal residual disease (MRD) in chronic myeloid leukemia is a very important issue, because it makes early diagnosis of relapse of the disease possible. The objective of this study is to present a review on the use and evaluation of real time PCR in monitoring minimal residual disease in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. The method provides information on the number and kinetics of tumour residual cells which currently it is the gold standard for monitoring MRD. The use of reverse transcription associated to real time PCR has made the quantification of mRNA easier and more accurate. TaqMan methodology, that exploits the 5'-3' exonuclesase activity of Taq DNA Polymerase, is the most common method used for this purpose. Monitoring MRD is required after stem cell transplantation and after drug-based therapies including Interferon-a and Imatinib Mesylate. So far, the studies published on this issue present differing and conflicting data, making the interpretation and comparison of the results very difficult. In order to use real time PCR to monitor MRD in chronic myeloid leukemia patients it is necessary to determine and to standardize cut-off points for results obtained under different conditions. This procedure will certainly be helpful for better clinical decision making.
Real Time PCR; chronic myeloid leukemia; minimal residual disease
