Background: Telomeres are specialized nucleoprotein structures present at the ends of human chromosomes, and
are constituted of a tandem of repeats TTAGGG. Telomere length measurement has been assessed by many previous
studies In B-Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia patients (B-CLL). Telomere shortening was found to correlate with
disease progression. The aim of our study was to measure Telomere Length (TL) by Florescence In-Situ
Hybridization coupled with Flow-cytometer (Flow-FISH) technique in newly diagnosed B-CLL patients. Explore its
prognostic significance, through determination of the relationship between TL; with disease stage, other prognostic
marker such as CD38 & ZAP-70 expression and patient response to treatment.
Methods: This study included 61 B-CLL patients in chronic phase and 67 normal healthy controls. Telomere
Length (TL) was assessed in Lymphocytes by Flow-FISH technique.
Results: This work revealed a significant reduction of the Relative Telomere Length (RTL) in B-CLL patients than
normal healthy control. RTL was significantly negatively correlated with CD38 and ZAP70 expression measured at
patient diagnosis (p= 0.09& 0.017 respectively). Patients follow up was done by BMA after six months. We observed
that patients who had higher TL, showed a better response to treatment (p> 0.001).
Conclusion: Telomere length may have a prognostic relevance in B-CLL cases.