Poor Applicability of Currently Available Prognostic Scoring Systems for Prediction of Outcome in KIT D816V-Negative Advanced Systemic Mastocytosis.

Within our nationwide registry, we identified a KIT D816V mutation (KIT D816Vpos.) in 280/299 (94%) patients with advanced systemic mastocytosis (AdvSM). Age, cytopenias and the presence of additional somatic mutations confer inferior overall survival (OS). However, little is known about the characteristics of KIT D816V-negative (D816Vneg.) AdvSM. In 19 D816Vneg. patients, a combination of clinical, morphological and genetic features revealed three subgroups: (a) KIT D816H- or Y-positive SM (KIT D816H/Ypos., n = 7), predominantly presenting as mast cell leukemia (MCL; 6/7 patients), (b) MCL with negative KIT sequencing (KITneg. MCL, n = 7) and (c) KITneg. SM with associated hematologic neoplasm (KITneg. SM-AHN, n = 5). Although >70% of patients in the two MCL cohorts (KIT D816H/Ypos. and KITneg.) were classified as low/intermediate risk according to prognostic scoring systems (PSS), treatment response was poor and median OS was shorter than in a KIT D816Vpos. MCL control cohort (n = 29; 1.7 vs. 0.9 vs. 2.6 years; p < 0.04). The KITneg. SM-AHN phenotype was dominated by the heterogeneous AHN (low mast cell burden, presence of additional mutations) with a better median OS of 4.5 years. We conclude that (i) in MCL, negativity for D816V is a relevant prognostic factor and (ii) PSS fail to correctly classify D816Vneg. patients.

Diagnosis and evaluation of prognosis of myelofibrosis: a British Society for Haematology guideline

This document represents an update of the British Society for Haematology (BSH) guideline on myelofibrosis (MF) first published in 2012 and updated in 2015.1 This guideline aims to provide healthcare professionals with clear guidance on the diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of primary my-elofibrosis (PMF), as well as post-polycythaemia vera myelo-fibrosis (post-PV MF) and post-essential thrombocythaemia myelofibrosis (post-ET MF). A section on prefibrotic MF is also included. A separate BSH Guideline covers the manage-ment of MF and is published alongside this guideline.

The management of myelofibrosis: a British Society for Haematology guideline

This document represents an update of the British Society for Haematology guideline on Myelofibrosis first published in 2012 and updated in 2015 These guidelines aim to pro-vide healthcare professionals with clear guidance on stratified management for primary myelofibrosis (PMF), as well as post-polycythaemia myelofibrosis (post-PV MF) and postessential thrombocythaemia myelofibrosis (post-ET MF). A separate BSH guideline covers the diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of myelofibrosis and is published alongside this guideline

European LeukemiaNet laboratory recommendations for the diagnosis and management of chronic myeloid leukemia.

From the laboratory perspective, effective management of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) requires accurate diagnosis, assessment of prognostic markers, sequential assessment of levels of residual disease and investigation of possible reasons for resistance, relapse or progression. Our scientific and clinical knowledge underpinning these requirements continues to evolve, as do laboratory methods and technologies. The European LeukemiaNet convened an expert panel to critically consider the current status of genetic laboratory approaches to help diagnose and manage CML patients. Our recommendations focus on current best practice and highlight the strengths and pitfalls of commonly used laboratory tests.

Myeloid/lymphoid neoplasms with eosinophilia and tyrosine kinase gene fusions: reevaluation of the defining characteristics in a registry-based cohort.

In a registry-based analysis of 135 patients with "myeloid/lymphoid neoplasms with eosinophilia and tyrosine kinase gene fusions" (MLN-TK; FIP1L1::PDGFRA, n = 78; PDGFRB, diverse fusions, n = 26; FGFR1, diverse, n = 9; JAK2, diverse, n = 11; ETV6::ABL1, n = 11), we sought to evaluate the disease-defining characteristics. In 81/135 (60%) evaluable patients, hypereosinophilia (>1.5 × 109/l) was observed in 40/44 (91%) FIP1L1::PDGFRA and 7/7 (100%) ETV6::ABL1 positive patients but only in 13/30 (43%) patients with PDGFRB, FGFR1, and JAK2 fusion genes while 9/30 (30%) patients had no eosinophilia. Monocytosis >1 × 109/l was identified in 27/81 (33%) patients, most frequently in association with hypereosinophilia (23/27, 85%). Overall, a blast phase (BP) was diagnosed in 38/135 (28%) patients (myeloid, 61%; lymphoid, 39%), which was at extramedullary sites in 18 (47%) patients. The comparison between patients with PDGFRA/PDGFRB vs. FGFR1, JAK2, and ETV6::ABL1 fusion genes revealed a similar occurrence of primary BP (17/104, 16% vs. 8/31 26%, p = 0.32), a lower frequency (5/87, 6% vs. 8/23, 35%, p = 0.003) of and a later progression (median 87 vs. 19 months, p = 0.053) into secondary BP, and a better overall survival from diagnosis of BP (17.1 vs. 1.7 years, p < 0.0008). We conclude that hypereosinophilia with or without monocytosis and various phenotypes of BP occur at variable frequencies in MLN-TK.

Age-related loss of chromosome Y is associated with levels of sex hormone binding globulin and clonal hematopoiesis defined by TET2, TP53, and CBL mutations.

Mosaic loss of the Y-chromosome (LOY) in peripheral blood leukocytes is the most common somatic alteration in men and linked to wide range of malignant and nonmalignant conditions. LOY is associated with age, smoking, and constitutional genetics. Here, we aimed to assess the relationships between LOY, serum biomarkers, and clonal hematopoiesis (CH). LOY in U.K. Biobank was strongly associated with levels of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), a key regulator of testosterone bioavailability. Mendelian randomization suggested a causal effect of SHBG on LOY but there was no evidence for an effect of LOY on SHBG. In contrast, age-related CH defined by somatic driver mutations was not associated with SHBG but was associated with LOY at clonal fractions above 30%. TET2, TP53, and CBL mutations were enriched in LOY cases, but JAK2 V617F was depleted. Our findings thus identify independent relationships between LOY, sex hormone levels, and CH.

Response and resistance to cladribine in patients with advanced systemic mastocytosis: a registry-based analysis.

We sought to evaluate the efficacy of the purine analogue cladribine in 79 patients with advanced systemic mastocytosis (AdvSM) using data from the 'German Registry on Disorders of Eosinophils and Mast Cells (GREM)'. The overall response rate according to modified Valent criteria (46 evaluable patients) for first- (1L) and second-line (2L) cladribine treatment was 41% (12/29) and 35% (6/17, P = 0.690), respectively, and the median overall survival (OS, all patients evaluable) was 1.9 years (n = 48) and 1.2 years (n = 31; P = 0.311). Univariate and multivariable analyses of baseline and on-treatment parameters identified diagnosis of mast cell leukemia (hazard ratio [HR] 3.5, 95% confidence interval [CI, 1.3-9.1], P = 0.012), eosinophilia ≥ 1.5 × 109/L (HR 2.9 [CI 1.4-6.2], P = 0.006) and < 3 cycles of cladribine (HR 0.4 [CI 0.2-0.8], P = 0.008) as independent adverse prognostic parameters for OS. There was no impact of other laboratory (anemia, thrombocytopenia, serum tryptase) or genetic markers (mutations in SRSF2, ASXL1 or RUNX1) on OS. In consequence, none of the recently established prognostic scoring systems (MARS, IPSM, MAPS or GPSM) was predictive for OS. Modified Valent criteria were superior to a single factor-based response assessment (HR 2.9 [CI 1.3-6.6], P = 0.026). In conclusion, cladribine is effective in 1L and 2L treatment of AdvSM. Mast cell leukemia, eosinophilia, application of < 3 cycles and a lack of response are adverse prognostic markers.

CNL and aCML should be considered as a single entity based on molecular profiles and outcomes.

Chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL) and atypical chronic myeloid leukemia (aCML) are rare myeloid disorders that are challenging with regard to diagnosis and clinical management. To study the similarities and differences between these disorders, we undertook a multicenter international study of one of the largest case series (CNL, n = 24; aCML, n = 37 cases, respectively), focusing on the clinical and mutational profiles (n = 53 with molecular data) of these diseases. We found no differences in clinical presentations or outcomes of both entities. As previously described, both CNL and aCML share a complex mutational profile with mutations in genes involved in epigenetic regulation, splicing, and signaling pathways. Apart from CSF3R, only EZH2 and TET2 were differentially mutated between them. The molecular profiles support the notion of CNL and aCML being a continuum of the same disease that may fit best within the myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms. We identified 4 high-risk mutated genes, specifically CEBPA (ß = 2.26, hazard ratio [HR] = 9.54, P = .003), EZH2 (ß = 1.12, HR = 3.062, P = .009), NRAS (ß = 1.29, HR = 3.63, P = .048), and U2AF1 (ß = 1.75, HR = 5.74, P = .013) using multivariate analysis. Our findings underscore the relevance of molecular-risk classification in CNL/aCML as well as the importance of CSF3R mutations in these diseases.

The ABNL-MARRO 001 study: a phase 1-2 study of randomly allocated active myeloid target compound combinations in MDS/MPN overlap syndromes.

BACKGROUND: Myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms (MDS/MPN) comprise several rare hematologic malignancies with shared concomitant dysplastic and proliferative clinicopathologic features of bone marrow failure and propensity of acute leukemic transformation, and have significant impact on patient quality of life. The only approved disease-modifying therapies for any of the MDS/MPN are DNA methyltransferase inhibitors (DNMTi) for patients with dysplastic CMML, and still, outcomes are generally poor, making this an important area of unmet clinical need. Due to both the rarity and the heterogeneous nature of MDS/MPN, they have been challenging to study in dedicated prospective studies. Thus, refining first-line treatment strategies has been difficult, and optimal salvage treatments following DNMTi failure have also not been rigorously studied. ABNL-MARRO (A Basket study of Novel therapy for untreated MDS/MPN and Relapsed/Refractory Overlap Syndromes) is an international cooperation that leverages the expertise of the MDS/MPN International Working Group (IWG) and provides the framework for collaborative studies to advance treatment of MDS/MPN and to explore clinical and pathologic markers of disease severity, prognosis, and treatment response. METHODS: ABNL MARRO 001 (AM-001) is an open label, randomly allocated phase 1/2 study that will test novel treatment combinations in MDS/MPNs, beginning with the novel targeted agent itacitinib, a selective JAK1 inhibitor, combined with ASTX727, a fixed dose oral combination of the DNMTi decitabine and the cytidine deaminase inhibitor cedazuridine to improve decitabine bioavailability. DISCUSSION: Beyond the primary objectives of the study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of novel treatment combinations in MDS/MPN, the study will (i) Establish the ABNL MARRO infrastructure for future prospective studies, (ii) Forge innovative scientific research that will improve our understanding of pathogenetic mechanisms of disease, and (iii) Inform the clinical application of diagnostic criteria, risk stratification and prognostication tools, as well as response assessments in this heterogeneous patient population. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov on August 19, 2019 (Registration No. NCT04061421).

TP53 Mutations Identified Using NGS Comprise the Overwhelming Majority of TP53 Disruptions in CLL: Results From a Multicentre Study.

Limited data exists to show the correlation of (tumour protein 53) TP53 mutation detected by Next generation sequencing (NGS) and the presence/absence of deletions of 17p13 detected by FISH. The study which is the largest series to date includes 2332 CLL patients referred for analysis of del(17p) by FISH and TP53 mutations by NGS before treatment. Using a 10% variant allele frequency (VAF) threshold, cases were segregated into high burden mutations (≥10%) and low burden mutations (<10%). TP53 aberrations (17p [del(17p)] and/or TP53 mutation) were detected in 320/2332 patients (13.7%). Using NGS analysis, 429 TP53 mutations were identified in 303 patients (13%). Of these 238 (79%) and 65 (21%) were cases with high burden and low burden mutations respectively. In our cohort, 2012 cases did not demonstrate a TP53 aberration (86.3%). A total of 159 cases showed TP53 mutations in the absence of del(17p) (49/159 with low burden TP53 mutations) and 144 cases had both TP53 mutation and del(17p) (16/144 with low burden mutations). Only 17/2332 (0.7%) cases demonstrated del(17p) with no TP53 mutation. Validated NGS protocols should be used in clinical decision making to avoid missing low-burden TP53 mutations and can detect the vast majority of TP53 aberrations.

Impact of BCR::ABL1 transcript type on RT-qPCR amplification performance and molecular response to therapy.

Several studies have reported that chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) patients expressing e14a2 BCR::ABL1 have a faster molecular response to therapy compared to patients expressing e13a2. To explore the reason for this difference we undertook a detailed technical comparison of the commonly used Europe Against Cancer (EAC) BCR::ABL1 reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay in European Treatment and Outcome Study (EUTOS) reference laboratories (n = 10). We found the amplification ratio of the e13a2 amplicon was 38% greater than e14a2 (p = 0.015), and the amplification efficiency was 2% greater (P = 0.17). This subtle difference led to measurable transcript-type dependent variation in estimates of residual disease which could be corrected by (i) taking the qPCR amplification efficiency into account, (ii) using alternative RT-qPCR approaches or (iii) droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), a technique which is relatively insensitive to differences in amplification kinetics. In CML patients, higher levels of BCR::ABL1/GUSB were identified at diagnosis for patients expressing e13a2 (n = 67) compared to e14a2 (n = 78) when analysed by RT-qPCR (P = 0.0005) but not ddPCR (P = 0.5). These data indicate that widely used RT-qPCR assays result in subtly different estimates of disease depending on BCR::ABL1 transcript type; these differences are small but may need to be considered for optimal patient management.

The 5th edition of the World Health Organization Classification of Haematolymphoid Tumours: Myeloid and Histiocytic/Dendritic Neoplasms.

The upcoming 5th edition of the World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Haematolymphoid Tumours is part of an effort to hierarchically catalogue human cancers arising in various organ systems within a single relational database. This paper summarizes the new WHO classification scheme for myeloid and histiocytic/dendritic neoplasms and provides an overview of the principles and rationale underpinning changes from the prior edition. The definition and diagnosis of disease types continues to be based on multiple clinicopathologic parameters, but with refinement of diagnostic criteria and emphasis on therapeutically and/or prognostically actionable biomarkers. While a genetic basis for defining diseases is sought where possible, the classification strives to keep practical worldwide applicability in perspective. The result is an enhanced, contemporary, evidence-based classification of myeloid and histiocytic/dendritic neoplasms, rooted in molecular biology and an organizational structure that permits future scalability as new discoveries continue to inexorably inform future editions.

Superior Efficacy of Midostaurin Over Cladribine in Advanced Systemic Mastocytosis: A Registry-Based Analysis.

PURPOSE: On the basis of data from the German Registry on Disorders of Eosinophils and Mast Cells, we compared the efficacy of midostaurin and cladribine in patients with advanced systemic mastocytosis (AdvSM). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with AdvSM (n = 139) were treated with midostaurin only (n = 63, 45%), cladribine only (n = 23, 17%), or sequentially (midostaurin-cladribine, n = 30, 57%; cladribine-midostaurin, n = 23, 43%). Prognosis was assessed through the Mutation-Adjusted Risk Score (MARS). Besides the comparison of efficacy between midostaurin and cladribine on response (eg, organ dysfunction, bone marrow mast cell [MC] infiltration, and tryptase), overall survival (OS), and leukemia-free survival, we focused on the impact of treatment on involved non-MC lineages, for example, monocytes or eosinophils, and the KIT D816V expressed allele burden. RESULTS: Midostaurin only was superior to cladribine only with effects from responses on MC and non-MC lineages conferring on a significantly improved OS (median 4.2 v 1.9 years, P = .033) and leukemia-free survival (2.7 v 1.3 years, P = .044) on the basis of a propensity score-weighted analysis of parameters included in MARS. Midostaurin compensated the inferior efficacy of cladribine in first- and second-line treatment. On midostaurin in any line, response of eosinophilia did not improve its baseline adverse prognostic impact, whereas response of monocytosis proved to be a positive on-treatment parameter. Multivariable analysis allowed to establish three risk categories (low/intermediate/high) through the combination of MARS and the reduction of the KIT D816V expressed allele burden of ≥ 25% at month 6 (median OS not reached v 3.0 years v 1.0 year; P < .001). CONCLUSION: In this registry-based analysis, midostaurin revealed superior efficacy over cladribine in patients with AdvSM. In midostaurin-treated patients, the combination of baseline MARS and molecular response provided a compelling three-tier risk categorization (MARSv2.0) for OS.

Chronic Eosinophilic Leukaemia Associated with JAK2 Exon 13 Insertion/Deletion Mutations.

Chronic eosinophilic leukaemia, not otherwise specified (CEL, NOS), is a diagnosis of exclusion made in cases in which there is clonal eosinophilia but an absence of genetic aberrations that define other disease subtypes. There is a need for further characterization of these cases in order to inform risk stratification and management. The importance of JAK2 mutations in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) as a whole is well established, although their role specifically in eosinophilic disorders is less clear, with only a minority of cases demonstrating JAK2 abnormalities. Here, we report 2 cases with an exon 13 insertion-deletion (indel) mutation in JAK2: one with CEL-NOS and the second with an unspecified eosinophilic disorder. JAK2 indels were not detected in a screen of suspected MPN cases (n = 592) without eosinophilia that tested negative for common MPN driver mutations. Our findings thus provide further evidence for a specific association between this rare mutation and clonal eosinophilic disorders.

Clonal myelopoiesis promotes adverse outcomes in chronic kidney disease.

We sought to determine the relationship between age-related clonal hematopoiesis (CH) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). CH, defined as mosaic chromosome abnormalities (mCA) and/or driver mutations was identified in 5449 (2.9%) eligible UK Biobank participants (n = 190,487 median age = 58 years). CH was negatively associated with glomerular filtration rate estimated from cystatin-C (eGFR.cys; ß = -0.75, P = 2.37 × 10-4), but not with eGFR estimated from creatinine, and was specifically associated with CKD defined by eGFR.cys < 60 (OR = 1.02, P = 8.44 × 10-8). In participants without prevalent myeloid neoplasms, eGFR.cys was associated with myeloid mCA (n = 148, ß = -3.36, P = 0.01) and somatic driver mutations (n = 3241, ß = -1.08, P = 6.25 × 10-5) associated with myeloid neoplasia (myeloid CH), specifically mutations in CBL, TET2, JAK2, PPM1D and GNB1 but not DNMT3A or ASXL1. In participants with no history of cardiovascular disease or myeloid neoplasms, myeloid CH increased the risk of adverse outcomes in CKD (HR = 1.6, P = 0.002) compared to those without myeloid CH. Mendelian randomisation analysis provided suggestive evidence for a causal relationship between CH and CKD (P = 0.03). We conclude that CH, and specifically myeloid CH, is associated with CKD defined by eGFR.cys. Myeloid CH promotes adverse outcomes in CKD, highlighting the importance of the interaction between intrinsic and extrinsic factors to define the health risk associated with CH.

HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC) recommendations for the designation of gene fusions.

Gene fusions have been discussed in the scientific literature since they were first detected in cancer cells in the early 1980s. There is currently no standardized way to denote the genes involved in fusions, but in the majority of publications the gene symbols in question are listed either separated by a hyphen (-) or by a forward slash (/). Both types of designation suffer from important shortcomings. HGNC has worked with the scientific community to determine a new, instantly recognizable and unique separator-a double colon (::)-to be used in the description of fusion genes, and advocates its usage in all databases and articles describing gene fusions.