A Preliminary Study of FTIR Spectroscopy as a Potential Non-Invasive Screening Tool for Pediatric Precursor B Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Radosław Chaber,Izabela Zawlik,Aneta Kowal,Sylwia Paszek,Christopher Arthur,Renata Wojnarowska-Nowak,Krzysztof Kusz,Paweł Jakubczyk,Kornelia Łach,Józef Cebulski

doi:10.3390/molecules26041174

Radosław Chaber, Izabela Zawlik + Show 8 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26041174

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Abstract

Early detection of the most common pediatric neoplasm, B-cell precursor lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL), is challenging and requires invasive bone marrow biopsies. The purpose of this study was to establish new biomarkers for early screening to detect pediatric leukemia. In this small cohort study, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra were obtained from blood sera of 10 patients with BCP-ALL and were compared with the control samples from 10 children with some conditions other than neoplasm. Using various analytical approaches, including a new physical model, some significant differences were observable. The most important include: the different peak area ratio 2965/1645 cm−1 (p = 0.002); the lower average percentage of both β-sheet and β-turn protein structures in the sera of BCP-ALL patients (p = 0.03); an AdaBoost-based predictive model for classifying healthy vs. BCP-ALL patients with 85% accuracy; and the phase shift of the first derivative in the spectral range 1050–1042 cm−1 correlating with white blood cell (WBC) and blast cell count in BCP-ALL patients contrary to the samples obtained from healthy controls. Although verification in larger groups of patients will be necessary, these promising results suggest that FTIR spectroscopy may have future potential for the early screening of BCP-ALL.

Highlights

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most frequent cancer diagnosed in children and represents approximately 25% of all cancers diagnosed up to 15 years old [1]
We have previously shown that Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra can be helpful in pediatric Ewing sarcoma diagnosis and that it can be used as an important prognostic factor in this cancer [5,6,7,8]
We report a small cohort study of the FTIR spectra of the sera from pediatric patients with suspected leukemia compared with the control sera obtained from children with conditions other than neoplasm

Summary

Introduction

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most frequent cancer diagnosed in children and represents approximately 25% of all cancers diagnosed up to 15 years old [1]. ALL arises from the malignant transformation and proliferation of lymphoid precursor cells in bone marrow, and, in children, is usually derived (80% of cases) from B-cell precursors (BCP-ALL) [3]. The diagnosis of ALL is usually established by examining bone marrow aspirates. This invasive procedure is often performed under general anesthesia in children and the indications for bone marrow biopsy should be considered carefully, in younger children. The implementation of an effective, rapid tool for the early detection of leukemia from serum could limit the number of unnecessary bone marrow aspirations under general anesthesia

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