OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical efficacy and health economic value of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for the prenatal screening of common fetal chromosomal aneuploidies. METHODS: 10 612 pregnant women from October 2017 to December 2019 presented at the antenatal screening clinic of the General Hospital of Tianjin Medical University were selected as the study subjects. Results of NIPT and invasive prenatal diagnosis and follow-up outcome for the 10 612 pregnant women were retrospectively analyzed and compared. Meanwhile, NIPT data for two periods were analyzed for assessing the health economic value of NIPT as the second- or first-tier screening strategy for the prenatal diagnosis of fetal trisomies 21, 18 and 13. RESULTS: The NIPT was successful in 10 528 (99.72%) subjects, with the sensitivity for fetal trisomies 21, 18 and 13 being 100%, 92.86% and 100%, and the positive predictive value (PPV) being 89.74%, 61.90% and 44.44%, respectively. The PPV of NIPT for sex chromosome aneuploidies was 34.21%. Except for one false negative case of trisomy 18, the negative predictive value for trisomy 21, trisomy 13 and other chromosomal abnormalities were 100%. For pregnant women with high risk by serological screening, advanced maternal age or abnormal ultrasound soft markers, NIPT has yielded a significantly increased high risk ratio. There was no statistical difference in the PPV of NIPT among pregnant women from each subgroup. NIPT would have higher health economic value as a second-tier screening until 2019, while compared to 2015 ~ 2017, its incremental cost-effectiveness ratio as a first-tier screening had declined clearly. CONCLUSION The screening efficacy of NIPT for trisomies 21, 18 and 13 for a mixed population is significantly better than conventional serological screening, but it is relatively low for sex chromosomal abnormalities. NIPT can also be recommended for populations with relatively high risks along with detailed pre- and post-test genetic counselling. From the perspective of health economics, except for open neural tube defects, it is possible for NIPT to replace the conventional serological screening in the future as its cost continues to decrease.
Pregnancy ; Female ; Humans ; Trisomy/genetics* ; Retrospective Studies ; Prenatal Diagnosis/methods* ; Down Syndrome/genetics* ; Aneuploidy ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Trisomy 18 Syndrome/genetics* ; Sex Chromosome Aberrations ; Fetus

OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical features and prognosis of high hyperdiploid (HHD) childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 1 414 children who were newly diagnosed with ALL and were admitted to five hospitals in Fujian Province of China from April 2011 to December 2020. According to karyotype, they were divided into two groups: HHD (n=172) and non-HHD (n=1 242). The clinical features and treatment outcome were compared between the two groups, and the factors influencing the prognosis were further explored. RESULTS: Among the 1 414 children with ALL, 172 (12.16%) had HHD. Compared with the non-HHD group, the HHD group had significantly lower proportions of children with risk factors for poor prognosis at diagnosis (age of onset ≥10 years or <1 year, white blood cell count ≥50×10⁹/L, and T-cell phenotype) or positive fusion genes (TEL-AML1, BCR-ABL1, E2A-PBX1, and MLL gene rearrangement) (P<0.05). The HHD group had a significantly higher proportion of children with minimal residual disease (MRD) <0.01% at the end of induction chemotherapy (P<0.05). The 10-year event-free survival (EFS) rate and overall survival (OS) rate in the HHD group were significantly higher than those in the non-HHD group (P<0.05). The univariate analysis showed that the number of chromosomes of 58-66, trisomy of chromosome 10, trisomy of chromosome 17, bone marrow MRD <1% on day 15 or 19 of induction chemotherapy, and bone marrow MRD <0.01% on day 33 or 46 of induction chemotherapy were associated with a higher EFS rate (P<0.05), and trisomy of chromosome 10 was associated with a higher OS rate (P<0.05). The multivariate Cox analysis showed that trisomy of chromosome 17 was closely associated with a high EFS rate (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The ALL children with HHD have few risk factors for poor prognosis at diagnosis and often have good prognosis. The number of chromosomes and trisomy of specific chromosomes are associated with prognosis in these children.
Child ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Trisomy ; Prognosis ; Treatment Outcome ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/diagnosis* ; Neoplasm, Residual ; Disease-Free Survival

Objective To explore the clinical significance of non-invasive prenatal testing(NIPT)for fetal chromosomal abnormalities in the cases of twin pregnancy and its relationship with age and other related factors.Methods A total of 3733 women with twin pregnancy of 12-26⁺⁶ weeks who voluntarily underwent NIPT in the Ningbo Women and Children's Hospital from January 2018 to December 2022 were selected.The results of NIPT and amniocentesis were compared and all the participants were followed up.The detection rate of chromosomal abnormalities by NIPT was calculated,and its correlations with age,gestational weeks,chorionicity,and pregnancy type were analyzed.Results Among the 3733 cases,71 cases of fetal chromosome abnormality were indicated by NIPT,including 13 cases of trisomy 21,19 cases of trisomy 18,5 cases of trisomy 13,18 cases of sex chromosome abnormality,and 16 cases of chromosome microdeletion/duplication(excluding 21,18,13,and sex chromosomes),among which 34 cases were true positive and 37 cases were false positive.The overall sensitivity,specificity,and positive predictive value(PPV)of NIPT for chromosomal abnormalities in the cases of twin pregnancy were 100%,98.99%,and 47.89%(34/71),respectively.NIPT showed the sensitivity,specificity,and PPV of 100%,99.78%,and 78.38%(29/37)for trisomy 21,18,and 13,100%,99.56%,and 16.67%(3/18)for sex chromosome abnormalities,and 100%,99.62%,and 12.5%(2/16)for chromosome microdeletion/duplication,respectively.In the age group of ≥40 years,the NIPT for chromosomal abnormalities showed the PPV of 66.67%,the sensitivity of 100%,and the misdiagnosis rate of 30%。However,the NIPT for trisomy 21,18,and 13 showed the PPV of 100%,the misdiagnosis rate of 0,and the sensitivity and specificity of 100%.In terms of grouping based on gestational weeks,the NIPT for chromosomal abnormalities showed the highest PPV(51.28%)in the women with twin pregnancy for 14-17⁺⁶ weeks,followed by that(50.00%)in the women with twin pregnancy for 22-26⁺⁶ weeks;the NIPT for trisomy 21,18,and 13 showed the highest PPV of 94.74% in the gestation group of 14-17⁺⁶ weeks,followed by that(83.33%)in the gestation group of 18-21⁺⁶ weeks.The rate of dichorionic diamniotic twins was higher in assisted pregnancies than in natural pregnancies,and NIPT showed the same detection efficiency for dichorionic diamniotic twins and monochorionic diamniotic twins and the same detection efficiency for different pregnancy types.Conclusions NIPT has high accuracy in the diagnosis of twin pregnancy and high sensitivity and high specificity for different ages and gestational weeks,especially for trisomy 21,18,and 13.NIPT is suitable for assisted pregnancy and natural pregnancy,and it is of high value in clinical application.However,extensive application needs a large population-based study.
Pregnancy ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Adult ; Down Syndrome/genetics* ; Pregnancy, Twin ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Trisomy ; Chromosome Aberrations

OBJECTIVE: To validate a fetus with high risk for trisomy 13 suggested by non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). METHODS: The fetus was selected as the study subject after the NIPT detection at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences on February 18, 2019. Clinical data of the pregnant woman was collected. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), chromosomal karyotyping analysis and chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) were carried out on amniotic fluid and umbilical cord blood and the couple's peripheral blood samples. Copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq) was also performed on the placental and amniotic fluid samples following induced labor. RESULTS: The pregnant woman, a 38-year-old G4P1 gravida, was found to have abnormal fetal development by prenatal ultrasonography. NIPT test suggested that the fetus has a high risk for trisomy 13. Chromosomal karyotyping analysis of fetal amniotic fluid and umbilical cord blood were 46,XN,add(13)(p10). The result of CMA was arr[hg19]1q41q44(223937972_249224684)×3, with the size of the repeat fragment being approximately 25.29 Mb, the fetal karyotype was thereby revised as 46,XN,der(13)t(1;13)(q41;p10). Chromosomal karyotyping analysis and CMA of the parents' peripheral blood samples showed no obvious abnormality. The CNV-seq analysis of induced placenta revealed mosaicisms of normal karyotype and trisomy 13. The CNV-seq test of induced amniotic fluid confirmed a duplication of chr1:22446001_249220000 region spanning approximately 24.75 Mb, which was in keeping with the CMA results of amniotic fluid and umbilical cord blood samples. CONCLUSION NIPT may yield false positive result due to placenta mosaicism. Invasive prenatal diagnosis should be recommended to women with a high risk by NIPT test. And analysis of placenta can explain the inconsistency between the results of NIPT and invasive prenatal diagnosis.
Humans ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Trisomy 13 Syndrome/genetics* ; DNA Copy Number Variations ; Placenta ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 1 ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Prenatal Diagnosis/methods* ; Fetus ; Amniotic Fluid ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Trisomy/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for trisomy 21 (T21), trisomy 18 (T18), trisomy 13 (T13), sex chromosome aneuploidies, chromosomal microdeletions and microduplications using cell-free fetal DNA from peripheral blood samples of pregnant women. METHODS: A total of 15 237 pregnant women who had undergone NIPT testing at the Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital of Zaozhuang from February 2015 to December 2021 were enrolled in this study. For those with a high risk by NIPT, amniotic fluid samples were collected for G-banding chromosomal karyotyping analysis and chromosomal microarray analysis to verify the consistency of NIPT with results of prenatal diagnosis. All of the women were followed up by telephone for pregnancy outcomes. RESULTS: Among the 15 237 pregnant women, 266 (1.75%) were detected with a high risk for fetal chromosomal abnormality were detected. Among these, 79 (29.7%) were at a high risk for T21, 26 (9.77%) were at a high risk for T18, 9 (3.38%) were at a high risk for T13, 74 (27.82%) were at a high risk for sex chromosome aneuploidies, 12 (4.51%) were at a high risk for other autosomal aneuploidies, and 66 (24.81%) were at a high risk for chromosomal microdeletions or microduplications. 217 women had accepted invasive prenatal diagnosis and respectively 50, 13, 1, 25, 1 and 18 were confirmed with T21, T18, T13, sex chromosome aneuploidies, autosomal aneuploidies and microdeletions/microduplications, and the positive predictive values were 75.76%, 68.42%, 11.11%, 40.32%, 10% and 35.29%, respectively. For 13 042 women (85.59%), the outcome of pregnancy were successfully followed up. During the follow-up, one false negative case of T21 was discovered. No false positive cases for T13 and T18 were found. CONCLUSION NIPT has a sound performance for screening T13, T18 and T21, and is also valuable for screening other autosomal aneuploidies, sex chromosome aneuploidies and chromosomal microdeletions/microduplications.
Child ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Cell-Free Nucleic Acids ; Chromosome Disorders/genetics* ; Prenatal Diagnosis/methods* ; Down Syndrome/genetics* ; Sex Chromosome Aberrations ; Trisomy 18 Syndrome/genetics* ; Trisomy 13 Syndrome/diagnosis* ; Aneuploidy ; DNA/genetics* ; Trisomy/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the result of prenatal diagnosis and outcome of pregnancy for fetuses with rare autosomal trisomies (RATs) suggested by non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). METHODS: A total of 69 608 pregnant women who underwent NIPT at Genetics and Prenatal Diagnosis Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2016 to December 2020 were selected as study subjects. The result of prenatal diagnosis and outcome of pregnancy for those with a high risk for RATs were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Among the 69 608 pregnant women, the positive rate of NIPT for high-risk RATs was 0.23% (161/69 608), with trisomy 7 (17.4%, 28/161) and trisomy 8 (12.4%, 20/161) being the most common, and trisomy 17 (0.6%, 1/161) being the rarest. For 98 women who had accepted invasive prenatal diagnosis, 12 fetal chromosomal abnormalities were confirmed, and in 5 cases the results were consistent with those of NIPT, which yielded a positive predictive value of 5.26%. Among the 161 women with a high risk for RATs, 153 (95%) were successfully followed up. 139 fetuses were ultimately born, with only one being clinically abnormal. CONCLUSION Most women with a high risk for RATs by NIPT have good pregnancy outcomes. Invasive prenatal diagnosis or serial ultrasonography to monitor fetal growth, instead of direct termination of pregnancy, is recommended.
Pregnancy ; Female ; Humans ; Trisomy/genetics* ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Retrospective Studies ; Prenatal Diagnosis/methods* ; Fetus ; Trisomy 18 Syndrome/genetics* ; Aneuploidy

OBJECTIVE: To prepare a quality control sample for non-invasive prenatal screening (NIPS) and evaluate its quality and stability. METHODS: According to the biological characteristics of cell-free fetal DNA derived from the plasma of pregnant women, the simulated samples were prepared by mixing genomic DNA fragments derived from individuals with trisomy 21, trisomy 18 and trisomy 13 and background plasma. The samples were then compared with commercially made quality control products tested on various NIPS platforms and stored at -80℃, -20℃, 4℃, 24℃ and 37℃ for various periods of time. RESULTS: The simulated samples have attained the expected results and could be detected on various platforms and stored at -80℃and -20℃ for at least 30 days. CONCLUSION A simulated sample was successfully prepared and possessed good stability. It can be used as the quality control sample for NIPS.
Aneuploidy ; Down Syndrome/genetics* ; Female ; Humans ; Noninvasive Prenatal Testing ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Trisomy/genetics*

Trisomy 11 mosaicism is clinically rare, for which making diagnostic and treatment decisions can be challenging. In this study, we used noninvasive prenatal testing, chromosome karyotype analysis, chromosome microarray analysis, copy number variation sequencing and fluorescence in situ hybridization for detecting trisomy 11 mosaicism in two cases and provided them with genetic counseling. In one of the cases, the fetus with confined placental mosaicism trisomy 11 presented with severe growth restriction and a placental mosaic level of 44%, and pregnancy was terminated at 25+3 weeks of gestation. In the other case with true low-level fetal mosaicism of trisomy 11, the pregnancy continued after exclusion of the possibility of uniparental disomy and structural abnormalities and careful prenatal counseling. The newborn was followed up for more than one year, and no abnormality was found. Noninvasive prenatal testing is capable of detecting chromosomal mosaicism but may cause missed diagnosis of true fetal mosaicism. For cases with positive noninvasive prenatal testing but a normal karyotype of the fetus, care should be taken in prenatal counseling and pregnancy management.
Chromosome Disorders/diagnosis* ; DNA Copy Number Variations ; Female ; Genetic Testing ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Infant, Newborn ; Mosaicism ; Placenta ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Trisomy/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: To assess the diagnostic value of copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq) in the genetic etiology of fetuses with nasal bone dysplasia (NBD). METHODS: A total of 217 fetuses discovered with NBD from December 2017 to December 2020 were divided into the isolated NBD group and NBD combined with other anomalies group, for which copy number variations (CNVs) were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 40 fetal abnormalities were detected in 217 cases, with an overall abnormal rate of 18.4%. These included 31 cases with aneuploidies (14.3%, 31/217) and 9 cases with genomic CNVs (4.1%, 9/217). Five cases of trisomy 21 (3.5%, 5/144) and two CNVs cases with unknown clinical significance (1.4%, 2/144) were detected in the isolated group. As for the combined NBD group, 26 aneuploidies (35.6%, 26/73), including 19 cases with trisomy 21, 6 cases with trisomy 18, 1 case with trisomy 13, 5 cases with pathogenic CNVs (6.8%, 5/73), and 2 cases with CNVs of unknown clinical significance (2.7%, 2/73) were detected. A significant difference was detected between the two groups (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION The detection rate of CNV-seq is high for chromosomal aneuploidies and pathogenic CNVs in fetuses with NBD, particularly in those combined with other ultrasonic abnormalities.
Aneuploidy ; Bone Diseases, Developmental ; Chromosome Aberrations ; DNA Copy Number Variations ; Down Syndrome/genetics* ; Female ; Fetus/abnormalities* ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Trisomy

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the Z values of true and false positive cases by non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) in order to improve its accuracy in clinical practice. METHODS: Results of 24 384 NIPT tests were reviewed. For cases with high risks for trisomies 21, 18 and 13, the range of Z values in true and false positive cases was analyzed and discussed. RESULTS: A total of 335 high-risk cases were identified by NIPT, among which 256 had elected prenatal diagnosis, 153 (59.77%) were verified as true positives, and 103 (40.23%) were false positives, and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.9994. For NIPT screening, the positive predictive value (PPV) for trisomy 21 was 100% when Z>13, regardless if the pregnant woman was over 35. When 3trisomy 21 was 80% (8/10) for those>35 and about 41.6% (5/12) for those<35. For trisomy 18, the PPV was 100% when Z>13, and only 14.3% (1/7) when 3trisomy 13 was only 6.67% (1/15) when the trisomy 13 Z value was more than 20, the positive predictive value was 100% , and the trisomy 13 Z value was 3CONCLUSION NIPT is a technique similar to prenatal diagnosis and has a high positive predictive value for trisomies 18 and 21. Proper classification and division of the high-risk Z value of NIPT can further improve the positive predictive values for trisomies 21, 18 and 13 in different intervals, and is more helpful to guide clinicians in genetic counseling for high-risk pregnant women. Meanwhile, the compliance of prenatal diagnosis in high risk NIPT pregnant women with Z value between 3~13 was improved.
Female ; Pregnancy ; Humans ; Trisomy 13 Syndrome/genetics* ; Trisomy/genetics* ; Down Syndrome/genetics* ; Chromosome Disorders/genetics* ; Trisomy 18 Syndrome/diagnosis* ; Prenatal Diagnosis/methods*