Distribution of fusion transcripts and its clinical impact in patients with acute myeloid leukemia in Sudan

OBJECTIVE: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a common malignant disorder of hematopoietic progenitor cells that caused by chromosomal translocation and the formation of fusion oncogenes. This study determined the frequencies of fusion genes in Sudanese patients with AML and their clinical impacts. METHODS: This study was conducted at Alzaeim Alazhari University, Khartoum, Sudan. A total of 97 patients with AML were recruited in the study from different clinics in Khartoum state. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to determine types of fusion genes. RESULTS: The highest frequency of genetic defects was observed for AML1-ETO fusion gene (57.6%) followed by MLL-AF9 (35.1%) and FUS-ERG (7.2%). No significant differences in blast cells, hemoglobin, total white blood cells, and platelets were found between different gene fusion groups (P > 0.05). In addition, no differences in the frequency of splenomegaly, hepatomegaly and lymphadenopathy were observed between different gene fusion groups (P > 0.05). With respect to French-American-British (FAB) classification, the M2 and M3 were significantly higher in patients with AML1-ETO fusion (86%, P < 0.01) whereas M4 and M5 were higher in patients with MLL-AF9 fusion (76.5%, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The study concluded that AML1-ETO and MLL-AF9 fusion genes were predominant in AML Sudanese patients. None of the examined clinical parameters were different between different fusion genes except for FAB stages.