Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is characterized by the presence of the chromosome translocation product t(8;21), which leads to the expression of a hybrid AML1/ETO RNA.
A semi-quantitative RT-PCR method is applied, from a peripheral blood or bone marrow sample, allowing the detection of at least 10 RNA copies of AML1/ETO RNA.
This test may also be applied in combination with:
- Karyotype analysis of bone marrow cells, combined with molecular detection of multiple chromosomal rearrangements
- Multicolor karyotype (M-FISH)