OBJECTIVETo compare the differences between weak ABO antigen patients and normal ABO antigen patients with acute leukemia, and to explore the clinical significance of weak ABO antigen in acute leukemia.

METHODSThe ABO blood group was detected in 110 newly diagnosed acute leukemia patients(including 68 cases of AML and 42 cases of ALL) and 68 normal controls. Then the leukemia subtype, age, sex, laboratory test, risk status of leukemia patients, and DNA methylation of ABO promoter were compared between patients with weak and normal ABO antigen.

RESULTSThe weak ABO antigen was found in patients with newly diagnosed acute leukemia, and was not found in ALL patients or normal group. No statistical differences were found in the distribution of ABO blood group, age, hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenovarix, plt, precursor cell clusters derived from bone marrow, immunopheno-typing, LDH level, and risk status between AL patients of weak and normal ABO antigen groups (P>0.05). Compared with patients in normal ABO antigen group, the pateins in weak ABO antigen group had higher percentage of male(77.8% vs 30%), lower WBC(32.26×10/L vs 82.69×10/L) and Hb level(64.00 g/L vs 85.94 g/L) and higher DNA methylation level (18.91% vs 10.76%) (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe cases of weak ABO antigen frequently appear in the male AML patients, the DNA methylation level of ABO gene promoter in patients with weak ABO antigen is significantly higher than that in patients with normal ABO antigen.