Hyperdiploid acute lymphoblastic leukemia with 51 to 65 chromosomes: a distinct biological entity with a marked propensity to undergo apoptosis.

To determine the cellular basis for the excellent clinical outcome of hyperdiploid acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), defined by a modal chromosome number of 51 to 65, we assessed the growth potential of leukemic cells from 129 children with newly diagnosed ALL. Flow cytometric analysis was used to compare leukemic cell recoveries at the beginning and at the end of 7-day cultures on allogeneic bone marrow-derived stromal layers. The median percentage of cell recovery after culture was 91% (range, <1% to 550%). Among the 25 hyperdiploid cases, only two had cell recoveries above the median value, compared with 63 of 104 cases with different ploidies (P <.001); 21 had recoveries within the first quartile, in contrast to only 12 of the 104 other cases. Cell recoveries in the 16 cases with duplications of chromosomes 4 and 10, a feature previously associated with a superior outcome, were all within the first quartile. Flow cytometric studies indicated that rapid induction of apoptosis was the underlying cause of low cell recoveries in cases with hyperdiploidy. The demise of hyperdiploid cells on stroma was not due to failure to adhere with stromal elements (as shown by electron microscopy) or to deficiencies of interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-6, IL-7, IL-11, stem-cell factor, interferon- (IFN-), tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-), or to combinations of these cytokines. Inactivation of IL-4, IFN- and TNF-, which if secreted by stromal layers could be toxic to ALL cells, failed to improve the survival of hyperdiploid blasts. We conclude that leukemic cells bearing 51 to 65 chromosomes have a marked propensity to undergo apoptosis. The stringent survival requirements of these cells, together with their potentially higher sensitivity to antileukemic drugs, may well account for the high cure rates achieved in patients with this form of ALL.