FLT3 mutations in patients with childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)

Excerpt

The type III receptor tyrosine kinase FLT3 is of importance in hematopoiesis. FLT3 is a frequently mutated gene in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) as well as prognostic marker. The most common mutation that occurs in patients includes internal tandem duplication (ITD) in the juxtamembrane domain. Point mutations in the kinase domain are also identified in many patients. These mutations result in constitutive activation of receptor as well as uncontrolled activation of survival pathways. Although 30 % of AML patients carry a mutation in FLT3 [2], its expression is not limited to only those patients. It has also been found to be expressed in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and several studies identified FLT3 mutations in a portion of ALL patients. This study will identify possible correlation in between FLT3 and childhood ALL patients. …