[Diagnosis and evaluation of the response to treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia in Mali by fluorescent in situ hybridization].

Objective: Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a hematologic malignancy characterized by the presence of the Philadelphia chromosome or its molecular equivalent, the BCR/ABL1 fusion gene. Diagnosis and monitoring of CML are done by detecting this chromosome, the BCR/ABL1 gene, or the BCR/ABL1 transcript. In Mali, genetic tools of diagnosis and follow-up are still lacking, so we did this study with the objectives of developing the FISH technique to diagnose, to follow up, and to characterize the cytogenetic profile of CML patients.

Methods: We carried out FISH technique by using the dual color dual fusion probe for BCR/ABL1 on interphase nuclei and metaphases. Slides were scanned with an epifluorescence microscope.

Results: A total of 25 patients (16 for diagnostic and 9 for follow-up) were included. We achieved a 92% success rate for obtaining metaphases. The BCR/ABL1 gene fusion signal was present in 22 patients. Among those 22 patients, 16 presented a typical signal pattern and 6 presented atypical signal patterns.

Conclusion: We set up the FISH technique in Mali for the diagnosis and the follow-up of CML patients and identified atypical translocation of t(9;22).