Abstract:
Objective To evaluate the prognostic value of droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) in conjunction with multiparametric flow cytometry (MFC) for measurable residual disease (MRD) detection in predicting relapse risk in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Methods In this retrospective cohort study, we have analyzed 78 newly diagnosed patients with AML who underwent combined MRD monitoring using MFC and ddPCR at The Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University (January 2018-January 2025). Clinical outcomes-including MRD negativity rates, cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR), relapse-free survival (RFS), and overall survival (OS)-were systematically evaluated. Prognostic discrimination between the MRD-negative and MRD-positive subgroups was compared across standalone and combined detection approaches.
Results With a median follow-up of 17 months (range: 2.4-86.7) and a median of one mutation tracked per patient (range: 1-3), both MFC-MRD and ddPCR-MRD negative subgroups demonstrated superior 2-year RFS compared with MRD-positive counterparts. Notably, combined MFC/ddPCR monitoring enhanced prognostic discrimination, with MRD-negative patients achieving significantly prolonged 2-year RFS compared with MRD-positive patients. MFC-MRD negativity independently predicted improved 2-year OS.
Conclusion ddPCR-based multigene MRD profiling provides significant independent prognostic value in patients with AML. The synergistic application of MFC and ddPCR enables superior predictive accuracy for relapse risk and survival outcomes, supporting its integration into standardized MRD monitoring protocols.