PREDICTING RELAPSE OF CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA PATIENTS TREATED BY ALLOGENEIC STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION

摘要

The invention is directed to a prognostic indicator for CLL patients who have undergone an allogeneic stem cell transplant (SCT). The indicator is based on a method of monitoring levels and changes in levels of correlating clonotypes of the CLLs at successive time points. The prognostic indicator applies to patients who have survived for at least one year from an allogeneic SCT and includes criteria based on the following two measurements: (a) frequency of CLL correlating clonotypes (e.g. in terms of number per 10⁶ clonotypes) in an initial clonotype profile (from peripheral blood), and (b) fold change in such CLL correlating clonotype number between such initial measurement and a successively measured clonotype profile.