Clinical characteristics of cytomegalovirus-positive pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia at diagnosis

Abstract:

Infections and antigenic exposures during childhood are associated with pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and are thought to lead to immune dysregulation stimulating pre-leukemic clones to expand and progress to overt leukemia. Emerging epidemiologic and laboratory evidence suggests cytomegalovirus (CMV) may contribute to the development of childhood ALL inspiring further investigative efforts and for the first time, identifying a specific target for ALL prevention.

In this study, we aimed to better elucidate the role of CMV in ALL etiology by screening diagnostic leukemia bone marrow samples for CMV DNA using a highly quantitative droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) assay.

We identified differences in demographic features and leukemia subtypes between CMV-positive and CMV-negative cases, supporting the hypothesis that CMV plays a role in ALL development.