Parallel testing of liquid biopsy (ctDNA) and tissue biopsy samples reveals a higher frequency of EZH2 mutations in follicular lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: Recent genomic studies revealed enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) gain-of-function mutations, representing novel therapeutic targets in follicular lymphoma (FL) in around one quarter of patients. However, these analyses relied on single-site tissue biopsies and did not investigate the spatial heterogeneity and temporal dynamics of these alterations. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to perform a systematic analysis of EZH2 mutations using paired tissue (tumor biopsies [TB]) and liquid biopsies (LB) collected prior to treatment within the framework of a nationwide multicentric study. METHODS: Pretreatment LB and TB samples were collected from 123 patients. Among these, 114 had paired TB and LB, with 39 patients characterized with paired diagnostic and relapse samples available. The EZH2 mutation status and allele burden were assessed using an in-house-designed, highly sensitive multiplex droplet digital PCR assay. RESULTS: EZH2 mutation frequency was found to be 41.5% in the entire cohort. In patients with paired TB and LB samples, EZH2 mutations were identified in 37.8% of the patients with mutations exclusively found in 5.3% and 7.9% of TB and LB samples, respectively. EZH2 mutation status switch was documented in 35.9% of the patients with paired diagnostic and relapse samples. We also found that EZH2 wild-type clones may infiltrate the bone marrow more frequently compared to the EZH2 mutant ones. CONCLUSION: The in-depth spatio-temporal analysis identified EZH2 mutations in a considerably higher proportion of patients than previously reported. This expands the subset of FL patients who most likely would benefit from EZH2 inhibitor therapy.

Comprehensive profiling of disease-relevant copy number aberrations for advanced clinical diagnostics of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common pediatric cancer characterized by a heterogeneous genomic landscape with copy number aberrations occurring at various stages of pathogenesis, disease progression, and treatment resistance. In this study, disease-relevant copy number aberrations were profiled in bone marrow samples of 91 children with B- or T-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia using digital multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (digitalMLPATM). Whole chromosome gains and losses, subchromosomal copy number aberrations, as well as unbalanced alterations conferring intrachromosomal gene fusions were simultaneously identified with results available within 36 hours. Aberrations were observed in 96% of diagnostic patient samples, and increased numbers of copy number aberrations were detected at the time of relapse as compared with diagnosis. Comparative scrutiny of 24 matching diagnostic and relapse samples from 11 patients revealed three different patterns of clonal relationships with (i) one patient displaying identical copy number aberration profiles at diagnosis and relapse, (ii) six patients showing clonal evolution with all lesions detected at diagnosis being present at relapse, and (iii) four patients displaying conserved as well as lost or gained copy number aberrations at the time of relapse, suggestive of the presence of a common ancestral cell compartment giving rise to clinically manifest leukemia at different time points during the disease course. A newly introduced risk classifier combining cytogenetic data with digitalMLPATM-based copy number aberration profiles allowed for the determination of four genetic subgroups of B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia with distinct event-free survival rates. DigitalMLPATM provides fast, robust, and highly optimized copy number aberration profiling for the genomic characterization of acute lymphoblastic leukemia samples, facilitates the decipherment of the clonal origin of relapse and provides highly relevant information for clinical prognosis assessment.

Quantitative assessment of JAK2 V617F and CALR mutations in Philadelphia negative myeloproliferative neoplasms.

BACKGROUND: Philadelphia negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are characterized by frequent mutations of driver genes including JAK2, CALR and MPL. While the influence of JAK2 V617F mutant allele burden on the clinical phenotype of MPN patients is well-described, the impact of CALR mutant allele burden on clinical features needs further investigation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Quantitative assessment of JAK2 and CALR mutations was performed on diagnostic DNA samples from 425 essential thrombocythemia (ET) and 227 primary myelofibrosis patients using real-time quantitative PCR and fragment length analysis. Characterization of CALR mutations and detection of MPL mutations were performed by Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: Twelve novel CALR mutations have been identified. ET patients with CALRmut load exceeding the median value exhibited lower hemoglobin values (12.0 vs. 13.6 g/dL), higher LDH levels (510 vs. 351 IU/L) and higher rate of myelofibrotic transformation (19% vs. 5%). The CALRmut load was higher among ET patients presenting with splenomegaly compared to those without splenomegaly (50.0% vs. 43.5%). CONCLUSION: Our study confirms the clinical significance of driver mutational status and JAK2mut load in MPNs; in addition, unravels a novel clinical association between high CALRmut load and a more proliferative phenotype in ET.

[TP53 mutation analysis in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia]. / A TP53-mutáció-analízis jelentosége krónikus lymphocytás leukaemiában.

INTRODUCTION: In recent years much progress has been made in the therapy of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, as the new innovative medicine proved to be effective in managing patients carrying TP53 abnormalities. To identify all these patients, it is essential to screen for both forms of TP53 defects, including both 17p deletions and TP53 mutations. AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of TP53 mutations and their association with 17p deletions in a large Hungarian cohort of 196 patients suffering from chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. METHOD: We performed mutation analysis of TP53 (exons 3-10) using Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: TP53 mutations were present in 15.8% of patients, half of which were associated with 17p deletion. By analysing both forms, TP53 defect was identified in 25.4% of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that by performing a TP53 mutation analysis, an additional 10% of high-risk patients can be detected. Orv. Hetil., 2017, 158(6), 220-228.

Growth inhibitory effect of rapamycin in Hodgkin-lymphoma cell lines characterized by constitutive NOTCH1 activation.

Growing evidence suggests that deregulation of signalling elements of Notch and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathways contribute to tumorigenesis. These signals play important roles in cellular functions and malignancies. Their tumorigenic role in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL) is well known; however, their potential interactions and functions are poorly characterized in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). The aim of our study was to characterize mTOR and Notch signalling elements in HL cell lines (DEV, L1236, KMH2) and human biopsies and to investigate their cross-talk in the tumorous process. High mTOR activity and constitutive NOTCH1 activation was confirmed in HL cell lines, without any known oncogenic mutations in key elements, including those common to both pathways. The anti-tumour effect of Notch inhibitors are well known from several preclinical models but resistance and side effects occur in many cases. Here, we tested mTOR and Notch inhibitors and their combinations in gamma-secretase inhibitor (GSI) resistant HL cells in vitro and in vivo. mTOR inhibitor alone or in combination was able to reduce tumour growth; furthermore, it was more effective in xenograft models in vivo. Based on these results, we suggest that constitutively activated NOTCH1 may be a potential target in HL therapy; furthermore, mTOR inhibitors may be effective for decreasing tumour growth if resistance to Notch inhibitors develop.

[Clinical and genetic background of familial myelodysplasia and acute myeloid leukemia]. / Familiáris myelodysplasiás szindróma és akut myeloid leukaemia klinikai és genetikai háttere.

Myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukaemia are mainly sporadic diseases, however, rare familial cases exist. These disorders are considered rare, but are likely to be more common than currently appreciated, and are characterized by the autosomal dominant mutations of hematopoietic transcription factors. These syndromes have typical phenotypic features and are associated with an increased risk for developing overt malignancy. Currently, four recognized syndromes could be separated: familial acute myeloid leukemia with mutated CEBPA, familial myelodysplastic syndrome/acute myeloid leukemia with mutated GATA2, familial platelet disorder with propensity to myeloid malignancy with RUNX1 mutations, and telomere biology disorders due to mutations of TERC or TERT. Furthermore, there are new, emerging syndromes associated with germline mutations in novel genes including ANKRD26, ETV6, SRP72 or DDX41. This review will discuss the current understanding of the genetic basis and clinical presentation of familial leukemia and myelodysplasia.

JAK2 V617F, MPL, and CALR mutations in essential thrombocythaemia and major thrombotic complications: a single-institute retrospective analysis.

Thrombo-haemorrhagic events are the main cause of morbidity and mortality in essential thrombocythemia. The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of thrombotic events and the impact of the JAK2V617F, MPL (W515L, W515K, W515R, W515A and S505N) and CALR (type-1, type-2) mutations on 101 essential thrombocythaemia patients (72 females and 29 males with a mean age of 61 years) diagnosed in a Southern Hungarian regional academic centre. The incidence of major thrombosis was 13.86 %. Sixty percent of the patients carried the JAK2V617F mutation. The MPL mutations were analysed by sequencing and the W515L was the only one we could identify with an incidence of 3.96 %. Type-2 CALR mutation could be identified in 3 cases among the patients who had JAK2/MPL-unmutated ET. Statistical analyses revealed that the JAK2V617F mutation was associated with significantly increased levels of platelet (p = 0.042), haemoglobin (p = 0.000), red blood cell (p = 0.000) and haematocrit (p = 0.000) and hepatomegaly (p = 0.045) at diagnosis compared to JAK2V617F negative counterparts, however there was no significant association between the JAK2V617F mutation status (relative risk: 1.297, 95 % CI 0.395-4.258; p = 0.668) and subsequent thrombotic complications. The impact of JAK2V617F, MPL W515L and CALR mutations on the clinical findings at the diagnosis of ET was obvious, but their statistically significant role in the prediction of thrombotic events could not be proven in this study. Our results indirectly support the concept that, besides the quantitative and qualitative changes in the platelets, the mechanisms leading to thrombosis are more complex and multifactorial.