Abnormal Karyotype (Not Only Complex) at Diagnosis Is an Independent Prognostic Factor for Overall Survival in Early Stage Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Patients. Results of a Prospective Study with a Median Follow-up of More Than 7-Years

Introduction:Only few studies have prospectively dealt with the prognostic impact on survival of both clinical and laboratory abnormalities in patients with early stage chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) at diagnosis. In our previously published analyses including a prospective cohort of 307 CLL (Oliveira et al, Leuk Lymphoma. 2011; 52:429-35, Oliveira et al,Ann Hematol. 2015; 94:627-32), patients with atypical lymphocyte morphology, 11q deletion, and elevated beta-2 microglobulin had a shorter progression-free survival (PFS) and treatment-free survival (TFS). Abnormal karyotype (AK), 1 or more abnormalities at diagnosis, was not an independent prognostic factor at that time. Complex karyotype (CK), 3 or more abnormalities, despite having been described as an important prognostic marker in retrospective studies, was a rare finding at diagnosis in early stage CLL patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate prognostic factors at diagnosis in patients with early stage CLL for PFS, TFS and also OS, with a longer follow-up.