Clinical relevance of glucocorticoid receptor gene deletions in relapses of TEL-AML1 positive pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemias

TEL/AML1 (ETV6/RUNX1) positive B-cell precursor (BCP) acute lymphoblastic leukemias (ALL) are common among childhood ALL (20–25%) and are associated with good prognosis of initial and relapsed disease. The probability of event-free survival (pEFS) in TEL/AML1 positive relapsed patients was found to be 0.70±0.04 versus 0.39±0.03 in fusion gene negative patients after intensified therapy according to the ALL-REZ BFM protocols. However, the molecular mechanisms related to therapy resistance are largely unknown. Here, we hypothesize that deletions of the glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) could entail poor therapy…