Germ line variants predispose to both JAK2 V617F clonal hematopoiesis and myeloproliferative neoplasms.

We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify novel predisposition alleles associated with Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) and JAK2 V617F clonal hematopoiesis in the general population. We recruited a web-based cohort of 726 individuals with polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia, and myelofibrosis and 252 637 population controls unselected for hematologic phenotypes. Using a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array platform with custom probes for the JAK2 V617F mutation (V617F), we identified 497 individuals (0.2%) among the population controls who were V617F carriers. We performed a combined GWAS of the MPN cases plus V617F carriers in the control population (n = 1223) vs the remaining controls who were noncarriers for V617F (n = 252 140). For these MPN cases plus V617F carriers, we replicated the germ line JAK2 46/1 haplotype (rs59384377: odds ratio [OR] = 2.4, P = 6.6 × 10(-89)), previously associated with V617F-positive MPN. We also identified genome-wide significant associations in the TERT gene (rs7705526: OR = 1.8, P = 1.1 × 10(-32)), in SH2B3 (rs7310615: OR = 1.4, P = 3.1 × 10(-14)), and upstream of TET2 (rs1548483: OR = 2.0, P = 2.0 × 10(-9)). These associations were confirmed in a separate replication cohort of 446 V617F carriers vs 169 021 noncarriers. In a joint analysis of the combined GWAS and replication results, we identified additional genome-wide significant predisposition alleles associated with CHEK2, ATM, PINT, and GFI1B All SNP ORs were similar for MPN patients and controls who were V617F carriers. These data indicate that the same germ line variants endow individuals with a predisposition not only to MPN, but also to JAK2 V617F clonal hematopoiesis, a more common phenomenon that may foreshadow the development of an overt neoplasm.

Discordant aPTT and anti-Xa values and outcomes in hospitalized patients treated with intravenous unfractionated heparin.

BACKGROUND: Both the activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and anti-Xa assay can be used to monitor unfractionated heparin (UFH). Following implementation of an anti-Xa method for heparin dosing protocols in our hospital, we became aware of many patients with discordant aPTT and anti-Xa values. OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of discordant aPTT and anti-Xa values in a large cohort of hospitalized patients treated with UFH, as well as the demographics, coagulation status, indication for UFH, and clinical outcomes in this population. METHODS: All aPTT and anti-Xa values from adults hospitalized between February and August 2009 at Stanford Hospital who were treated with UFH were analyzed. All samples were drawn simultaneously. A polynomial fit correlating aPTT and anti-Xa with a 99% confidence limit was designed. Paired aPTT/anti-Xa values were grouped according to whether the paired values fell within or outside of the concordant area. Patients were placed into groups based on concordance status, and clinical outcomes were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 2321 paired values from 539 patients were studied; 42% of data pairs had a high aPTT value relative to the anti-Xa value. Patients with elevated baseline prothrombin time/international normalized ratio or aPTT frequently demonstrated disproportionate relative prolongation of the aPTT. Patients with at least 2 consecutive high aPTT to anti-Xa values had increased 21-day major bleeding (9% vs 3%; p = 0.0316) and 30-day mortality (14% dead vs 5% dead at 30 days; p = 0.0202) compared with patients with consistently concordant values. CONCLUSIONS: aPTT and anti-Xa values are frequently discordant when used to measure UFH in hospitalized patients. A disproportionate prolongation of the aPTT relative to the anti-Xa was the most common discordant pattern in our study. Patients with relatively high aPTT to anti-Xa values appear to be at increased risk of adverse outcomes. Monitoring both aPTT and Xa values may have utility in managing such patients.

A Pilot Study of Quantitative MRI Parametric Response Mapping of Bone Marrow Fat for Treatment Assessment in Myelofibrosis.

Myelofibrosis (MF) is a hematologic neoplasm arising as a primary disease or secondary to other myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Both primary and secondary MF are uniquely associated with progressive bone marrow fibrosis, displacing normal hematopoietic cells from the marrow space and disrupting normal production of mature blood cells. Activation of the JAK2 signaling pathway in hematopoietic stem cells commonly causes MF, and ruxolitinib, a drug targeting this pathway, is the treatment of choice for many patients. However, current measures of disease status in MF do not necessarily predict response to treatment with ruxolitinib or other drugs in MF. Bone marrow biopsies are invasive and prone to sampling error, while measurements of spleen volume only indirectly reflect bone marrow status. Toward the goal of developing an imaging biomarker for treatment response in MF, we present preliminary results from a prospective clinical study evaluating parametric response mapping (PRM) of quantitative Dixon MRI bone marrow fat fraction maps in four MF patients treated with ruxolitinib. PRM allows for the voxel-wise identification of significant change in quantitative imaging readouts over time, in this case the bone marrow fat content. We identified heterogeneous response patterns of bone marrow fat among patients and within different bone marrow sites in the same patient. We also observed discordance between changes in bone marrow fat fraction and reductions in spleen volume, the standard imaging metric for treatment efficacy. This study provides initial support for PRM analysis of quantitative MRI of bone marrow fat to monitor response to therapy in MF, setting the stage for larger studies to further develop and validate this method as a complementary imaging biomarker for this disease.

Insights into the molecular genetics of myeloproliferative neoplasms.

The molecular biology of the BCR-ABL1-negative chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) has witnessed unprecedented advances since the discovery of the acquired JAK2 V617F mutation in 2005. Despite the high prevalence of JAK2 V617F in polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET), and primary myelofibrosis (PMF), and the common finding of dysregulated JAK-STAT signaling in these disorders, it is now appreciated that MPN pathogenesis can reflect the acquisition of multiple genetic mutations that alter several biologic pathways, including epigenetic control of gene expression. Although certain gene mutations are identified at higher frequencies with disease evolution to the blast phase, MPN initiation and progression are not explained by a single, temporal pattern of clonal changes. A complex interplay between acquired molecular abnormalities and host genetic background, in addition to the type and allelic burden of mutations, contributes to the phenotypic heterogeneity of MPNs. At the population level, an inherited predisposition to developing MPNs is linked to a relatively common JAK2-associated haplotype (referred to as '46/1'), but it exhibits a relatively low penetrance. This review details the current state of knowledge of the molecular genetics of the classic MPNs PV, ET, and PMF and discusses the clinical implications of these findings.

Is there a role for the use of IFN-α in primary myelofibrosis?

A 62-year-old man with a history of diabetes and hypertension is referred to your hematology clinic for an incidental discovery of anemia. He does not have any constitutional symptoms and previous blood counts have been within the normal range. He has hepatosplenomegaly with a palpable spleen of 6 cm below the left costal margin and a liver size of 2.5 cm below the right costal margin. Laboratory evaluation shows a WBC count of 12.8 K/µL, hemoglobin of 11.0 g/dL, and platelets of 202 K/µL, with a mean corpuscular volume of 85.7, 72% neutrophils, 13% lymphocytes, 4% monocytes, 5% eosinophils, 1% basophils, 1% promyelocytes, 4% myelocytes, and lactate dehydrogenase of 447 U/L (upper limit of normal is < 340 U/L). Peripheral blood smear shows 2+ teardrop-shaped RBCs, large hypogranular platelets, and rare nucleated RBCs. Bone marrow (BM) biopsy exhibits a hypercellular BM with atypical megakaryocytes and increased reticulin fibrosis (MF-1). BCR-ABL gene rearrangement by FISH was negative and JAK2 V617F mutation was 95% positive. He was diagnosed with primary myelofibrosis considered low risk (risk score of 0) by the International Prognostic Scoring System.(1) Because he is low risk and asymptomatic, he does not need treatment at this time.(2) However, he has read about the possible clinical benefits of IFN-α and its potential reduction of BM fibrosis and wonders whether this would be an appropriate treatment.