Abstract
Rare cases of possible materno-fetal transmission of cancer have been recorded over the past 100 years but evidence for a shared cancer clone has been very limited. We provide genetic evidence for mother to offspring transmission, in utero, of a leukemic cell clone. Maternal and infant cancer clones shared the same unique BCR-ABL1 genomic fusion sequence, indicating a shared, single-cell origin. Microsatellite markers in the infant cancer were all of maternal origin. Additionally, the infant, maternally-derived cancer cells had a major deletion on one copy of chromosome 6p that included deletion of HLA alleles that were not inherited by the infant (i.e., foreign to the infant), suggesting a possible mechanism for immune evasion.
Publication types
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Case Reports
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Adult
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Base Sequence
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DNA, Neoplasm / genetics
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Female
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Genes, abl
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HLA Antigens / genetics
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Humans
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Infant
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Loss of Heterozygosity
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Maternal-Fetal Exchange / genetics*
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Maternal-Fetal Exchange / immunology*
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Microsatellite Repeats
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Philadelphia Chromosome
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Precursor B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / complications*
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Precursor B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / genetics
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Precursor B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / immunology
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Pregnancy
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Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic / genetics*
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Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic / immunology*
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RNA, Messenger / genetics
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RNA, Neoplasm / genetics
Substances
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DNA, Neoplasm
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HLA Antigens
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RNA, Messenger
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RNA, Neoplasm