As expected, HTS of TCRB and TCRG identified MRD that was not detected by flow cytometry in a subset of cases (25 of 35 HTS compared with 13 of 35, respectively), which highlights the potential of this technology to define lower detection thresholds for MRD that could affect clinical treatment decisions.
In conclusion, TCRB gene rearrangements occur in 35% of precursor-B-ALL patients and are relatively stable and sensitive PCR targets for detection of minimal residual disease, particularly if this concerns complete Vbeta-(Dbeta)-Jbeta rearrangements.
The occurrence of the different types of TCRB rearrangement patterns has implications for PCR-based clonality assessment and for PCR-based detection of minimal residual disease via TCRB gene analysis.