More accurate leukemia diagnosis expected as researchers refine leukemia classification

Like cartographers completing a map, investigators have identified multiple new subtypes of the most common childhood cancer research that will likely improve the diagnosis and treatment of high-risk patients. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists led the study, which appears as an advance online publication today in the journal Nature Genetics. Researchers used integrated genomic analysis, including RNA sequencing, to define the genomic landscape of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) in almost 2,000 children and adults. B-ALL is the most common form of ALL and the most common cancer in children. B-ALL remains the leading cause of pediatric cancer death.
Investigators identified 23 subtypes of B-ALL, including eight new subtypes, with distinct genomic and clinical features as well as outcomes. Subtype prevalence often varies with age. More than 90 percent of B-ALL cases can now be categorized by subtype compared with 70 percent a few years ago.