Integrated clinical genotype-phenotype characteristics of early T-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Early T-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ETP-ALL) is a distinct subtype of T-ALL with a unique immunophenotype and high treatment failure rate. The molecular genetic abnormalities and their prognostic impact in ETP-ALL patients are poorly understood. METHODS: The authors performed systematic analyses of the clinicopathologic features with an emphasis on molecular genetic aspects of 32 patients with ETP-ALL. RESULTS: The median age was 43 years (range, 16-71). The blasts were positive for cytoplasmic CD3 and CD7 and negative for CD1a and CD8. Other markers expressed included CD34 (88%), CD33 (72%), CD117 (68%), CD13 (58%), CD5 (partial, 56%), CD2 (38%), CD10 (25%), CD56 (partial, 19%), and CD4 (6%). Cytogenetic analyses revealed a diploid karyotype in 10 patients, simple (1-2) abnormalities in 10 patients, and complex karyotype in 10 patients. Next-generation sequencing for 21 patients demonstrated that all had gene mutations (median, four mutations per patient). The most frequently mutated genes were WT1 (38%), NOTCH1 (29%), NRAS (29%), PHF6 (25%), TP53 (24%), ASXL1 (19%), FLT3 (19%), and IKZF1 (19%). All patients except one received multi-agent chemotherapy, and 22 patients underwent allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Thrombocytopenia, an abnormal karyotype, and TP53 mutation were associated with markedly shortened overall survival. Stem cell transplantation significantly improved overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with ETP-ALL often have high mutation burden with increased genomic instability. TP53 mutation was the only molecular prognostic marker and was associated with complex karyotype and greater than or equal to five mutations. These patients may benefit from stem cell transplantation, and recurrent gene mutations may be novel therapeutic markers.

ETNK1 mutation occurs in a wide spectrum of myeloid neoplasms and is not specific for atypical chronic myeloid leukemia.

BACKGROUND: ETNK1 mutation has been suggested as a useful tool to support the diagnosis of atypical chronic myeloid leukemia. ETNK1 mutations, however, occur in other myeloid neoplasms. METHODS: The authors assessed the clinicopathologic and molecular genetic features of 80 ETNK1-mutated myeloid neoplasms. RESULTS: Thirty-seven neoplasms (46%) were classified as myelodysplastic syndrome, 17 (21%) were classified as myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasm, 14 (18%) were classified as acute myeloid leukemia, and 12 (15%) were classified as myeloproliferative neoplasm. ETNK1 mutations were detected at the first test in 96% of patients, suggesting that ETNK1 mutation is an early event in pathogenesis. ETNK1 mutations represented the dominant clone in 63% of patients and was persistently dominant in 93%. The variant allele frequencies were usually higher in acute myeloid leukemia and increased upon leukemic transformation. ETNK1 mutation was accompanied by coexisting mutations in all patients, with ASXL1 (50%), TET2 (25%), EZH2 (24%), RUNX1 (24%), and SRSF2 (24%) mutations being the most common. Neoplasms with ETNK1 mutations were associated with morphologic dysplasia, increased blasts, myelofibrosis, and noncomplex karyotypes. With a median follow-up of 16.5 months, 30 patients died, 44 had persistent disease, and four achieved complete remission after stem cell transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: ETNK1 mutation is present in various myeloid neoplasms, often as an early event and a dominant clone and always with concurrent mutations. It may play an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of myeloid neoplasms by causing DNA damage and inducing other mutations and genomic instability, and it may serve as a potential therapeutic target. ETNK1 mutation is not disease-specific and should be interpreted with caution to classify myeloid neoplasms.

STAT5B mutations in myeloid neoplasms differ by disease subtypes but characterize a subset of chronic myeloid neoplasms with eosinophilia and/or basophilia.

STAT5B has been reported as a recurrent mutation in myeloid neoplasms (MNs) with eosinophilia, but the overall frequency and importance across a spectrum of MNs are largely unknown. We conducted a multicenter study on a series of 82 MNs with STAT5B mutations detected by next-generation sequencing. The estimated frequency of STAT5B mutation in MNs was low.

Genome Identification and Expression Profiles in Response to Nitrogen Treatment Analysis of the Class I CCoAOMT Gene Family in Populus.

Lignin is essential for the characteristics and quality of timber. Nitrogen has significant effects on lignin contents in plants. Nitrogen has been found to affect wood quality in plantations and lignin content in plants. Caffeoyl-CoA 3-O-methyltransferase (CCoAOMT) is an important methyltransferase in lignin biosynthesis. However, the classification of woody plant CCoAOMT gene family members and the regulation mechanism of nitrogen are not clear. Bioinformatics methods were used to predict the members, classification, and transcriptional distribution of the CCoAOMT gene family in Populus trichocarpa. The results showed that there were five PtCCoAOMTs identified, and they could be divided into three sub-groups according to their structural and phylogenetic features. The results of tissue expression specificity analysis showed that: PtCCoAOMT1 was highly expressed in roots and internodes; PtCCoAOMT2 was highly expressed in roots, nodes, and internodes, PtCCoAOMT3 was highly expressed in stems; PtCCoAOMT4 was highly expressed in young leaves, and, PtCCoAOMT5 was highly expressed in roots. Different forms and concentrations of nitrogen had varying effects on the expression patterns of genes in different plant tissue types. The results of real-time PCR showed that the expression levels of PtCCoAOMT1 and PtCCoAOMT2 in stems increased significantly under different forms of nitrogen. PtCCoAOMT3 and PtCCoAOMT4 were induced by nitrate nitrogen in upper stems and lower leaves, respectively. PtCCoAOMT4 and PtCCoAOMT5 were induced by different concentrations of nitrate nitrogen in lower stems and roots, respectively. These results could provide valuable information for revealing the differences between functions and expression patterns of the various CCoAOMT gene family members under different forms and concentrations of exogenous nitrogen in poplar.

Tertiary lymphoid structures with overlapping histopathologic features of cutaneous marginal zone lymphoma during neoadjuvant cemiplimab therapy are associated with antitumor response.

The development of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy with anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1/L1 monoclonal antibodies has led to a paradigm shift in cancer therapy. ICI neoadjuvant therapy followed by surgery has become the standard of care for several advanced-stage cancers. The pathology associated with ICI therapy is vast and includes neoadjuvant-associated tissue reactions and activation of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) at the site of the tumor bed and off-target immune-related adverse events. TLSs are thought to recapitulate lymph node function and may act as localized immune machinery to mount an antitumor response. B-cell activation in TLSs during neoadjuvant ICI therapy has been correlated with antitumor response. We report a patient with a history of sarcomatoid squamous cell carcinoma treated with neoadjuvant ICI cemiplimab who developed clonal expansion of B-cells in the TLSs of the tumor bed. The TLSs morphologically mimicked a cutaneous marginal zone lymphoma with plasmacytic differentiation. Awareness of clonal expansion of B-cells in TLSs during neoadjuvant ICI therapy is critical to recognize a response to ICI therapy and to avoiding an incorrect diagnosis of low-grade B-cell lymphoma.

Genome-wide identification of FRK genes in Populus trichocarpa and their expression under different nitrogen treatments.

Fructokinase (FRK) is the main fructose phosphorylase and plays an important role in catalyzing the irreversible reaction of free fructose phosphorylation. In order to study the regulatory effect of different forms and concentrations of nitrogen on PtFRK genes in Populus trichocarpa, seven genes encoding the hypothetical FRK proteins were identified in Populus trichocarpa genome by bioinformatics method. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that PtFRK family genes can be divided into two subgroups: SI (PtFRK 1, 3, 4, 6) and SII (PtFRK 2, 5, 7). The tissue-specific expression data obtained from PopGenIE indicate that PtFRK2, 3, 4 and 5 are expressed highly in the stem. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR illustrate that PtFRK1-7 showed different expression patterns in different tissues under different concentrations and morphological nitrogen application. Under high nitrate treatment, the expression levels of PtFRK1, 2, 3 and 6 in stem increased significantly, while under low nitrate treatment, only the expression of PtFRK1, 4 in the upper stem and the expression of PtFRK3, 5 in the lower stem increased significantly. In contrast, ammonium tends to inhibit the expression of PtFRKs in lower stems, the expression levels of PtFRK2, 3, 4 and 5 are significantly reduced under ammonium treatment. However, high ammonium had significant effects on PtFRK6 in the apical bud and upper leaves, which were 6 and 8 times of the control, respectively. These results laid the foundation for the study of the PtFRK gene family of poplar and provided a theoretical basis for the molecular mechanism of nitrogen regulating cell wall development. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-021-01055-6.

The transcriptional events and their relationship to physiological changes during poplar seed germination and post-germination.

BACKGROUND: Seed germination, the foundation of plant propagation, involves a series of changes at the molecular level. Poplar is a model woody plant, but the molecular events occurring during seed germination in this species are unclear. RESULTS: In this study, we investigated changes in gene transcriptional levels during different germination periods in poplar by high-throughput sequencing technology. Analysis of genes expressed at specific germination stages indicated that these genes are distributed in many metabolic pathways. Enrichment analysis of significantly differentially expressed genes based on hypergeometric testing revealed that multiple pathways, such as pathways related to glycolysis, lipid, amino acid, protein and ATP synthesis metabolism, changed significantly at the transcriptional level during seed germination. A comparison of ΣZ values uncovered a series of transcriptional changes in biological processes related to primary metabolism during poplar seed germination. Among these changes, genes related to CHO metabolism were the first to be activated, with subsequent expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism and then those associated with protein metabolism. The pattern of metabolomic and physiological index changes further verified the sequence of some biological events. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed molecular events occurring at the transcriptional level during seed germination and determined their order. These events were further verified by patterns of changes of metabolites and physiological indexes. Our findings lay a foundation for the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms responsible for poplar seed germination.

Routine sequencing in CLL has prognostic implications and provides new insight into pathogenesis and targeted treatments.

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is a genetically heterogeneous disease characterised by genomic alterations and gene mutations that may portend worse survival or resistance to treatments. A total of 680 blood or bone marrow samples underwent targeted sequencing of 29 genes previously identified as being mutated in CLL, which were correlated to known prognostic clinical characteristics. Overall, 400 (59%) patients were treatment-naïve (TN) and 280 (41%) were relapsed/refractory (R/R). Most patients (70%) had ≥1 mutation, with TP53 (22%), SF3B1 (18%), NOTCH1 (13%) and ATM (13%) being the most commonly mutated genes. A higher proportion of R/R patients had mutations in SF3B1 (P = 0·01) and TP53 (P < 0·001). Patients with mutated IGHV CLL more often had mutations in KLHL6 (P = 0·001) and MYD88 (P < 0·001). Pairwise associations showed mutational co-occurrences in the TN group including SF3B1/ATM [false discovery rate (FDR) < 0·05] and NOTCH1/POT1 (FDR < 0·01). Recurrent mutations resulting in premature truncation prior to the ubiquitination domains of NOTCH1 in its PEST domain and BIRC3 in its RING domain can produce proteins that constitutively activate CLL. Frequent missense mutations, such as K700E in SF3B1 and E571K in XPO1, have unknown function but are most likely to be activating mutations. Future directions include using these mutations to identify pathways for therapeutic targeting and rational drug design.

Association of gene mutations with time-to-first treatment in 384 treatment-naive chronic lymphocytic leukaemia patients.

This study correlated somatic mutation results and known prognostic factors with time-to-first treatment (TTFT) in 384 treatment-naïve (TN) chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) patients to help determine disease-specific drivers of early untreated CLL. CLL DNA from either peripheral blood or bone marrow underwent next generation targeted sequencing with a 29-gene panel. Gene mutation data and concurrent clinical characteristics, such as Rai/Binet stage, fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH), ZAP70/CD38, karyotype and IGHV mutation, status were analysed in univariable and multivariable analyses to identify associations with TTFT. TTFT was defined as time from diagnosis to initial treatment. In univariable analyses, mutated ATM (P < 0·001), NOTCH1 (P < 0·001) and SF3B1 (P = 0·002) as well as unmutated IGHV (P < 0·001), del(11q) (P < 0·001) and trisomy 12 (P < 0·001) by hierarchal FISH and advanced Rai (P = 0·05) and Binet (P < 0·001) stages were associated with shorter TTFT. Importantly, del(17p), mutated TP53 and complex karyotype were not associated with shorter TTFT. In a reduced multivariable analysis, mutated ATM (P < 0·001) and unmutated IGHV status (P < 0·001) remained significant, showing their importance in early leukaemogenesis. High-risk prognostic markers such as del(17p), mutated TP53 and complex karyotype, were not correlated with TTFT, suggesting that these abnormalities have limited roles in early disease progression but are more important in relapsed CLL.

Comprehensive dissection of transcript and metabolite shifts during seed germination and post-germination stages in poplar.

BACKGROUND: Seed germination, a complex, physiological-morphogenetic process, is a critical stage in the life cycle of plants. Biological changes in germinating seeds have not been investigated in poplar, a model woody plant. RESULTS: In this study, we exploited next-generation sequencing and metabolomics analysis and uncovered a series of significantly different genes and metabolites at various stages of seed germination and post germination. The K-means method was used to identify multiple transcription factors, including AP2/EREBP, DOF, and YABBY, involved in specific seed germination and post-germination stages. A weighted gene coexpression network analysis revealed that cell wall, amino acid metabolism, and transport-related pathways were significantly enriched during stages 3 and 5, with no significant enrichment observed in primary metabolic processes such as glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. A metabolomics analysis detected significant changes in intermediate metabolites in these primary metabolic processes, while a targeted correlation network analysis identified the gene family members most relevant to these changing metabolites. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our results provide important insights into the molecular networks underlying poplar seed germination and post-germination processes. The targeted correlation network analysis approach developed in this study can be applied to search for key candidate genes in specific biochemical reactions and represents a new strategy for joint multiomics analyses.

Persistent IDH1/2 mutations in remission can predict relapse in patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

Persistence of IDH1 or IDH2 mutations in remission bone marrow specimens of patients with acute myeloid leukemia has been observed, but the clinical impact of these mutations is not well known. In this study, we evaluated 80 acute myeloid leukemia patients with known IDH1 R132 or IDH2 R140/R172 mutations and assessed their bone marrow at the time of remission to determine the potential impact of persistent IDH1/2 mutations. Approximately 40% of acute myeloid leukemia patients given standard treatment in this cohort had persistent mutations in IDH1/2 Patients with an IDH1/2 mutation had an increased risk of relapse after 1 year of follow-up compared to patients without a detectable IDH1/2 mutation (59% versus 24%; P<0.01). However, a persistent mutation was not associated with a shorter time to relapse. High IDH1/2 mutation burden (mutant allelic frequency ≥10%) did not correlate with relapse rate (77% versus 86% for patients with a low burden, i.e., mutant allelic frequency <10%; P=0.66). Persistent mutations were also observed in NPM1, DNMT3A and FLT3 during remission, but IDH1/2 mutations remained significant in predicting relapse by multivariate analysis. Flow cytometry was comparable and complementary to next-generation sequencing-based assay for predicting relapse. Monitoring for persistent IDH1/2 mutations in patients with acute myeloid leukemia in remission can provide information that could be used to justify early interventions, with the hope of facilitating longer remissions and better outcomes in these patients.

DDX41 mutations in myeloid neoplasms are associated with male gender, TP53 mutations and high-risk disease.

Myeloid neoplasms with germline DDX41 mutations have been incorporated into the 2017 WHO classification. Limited studies describing the clinicopathologic features and mutation profile are available. We searched for myeloid neoplasms with a DDX41 gene mutation tested by an 81-gene next-generation sequencing panel over a 7-month period. We identified 34 patients with myeloid neoplasms with DDX41 abnormalities; 26 (76%) men and 8 women (24%) [median age, 70 years], 20 acute myeloid leukemia (AML), 10 myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), 1 chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) and 3 myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). Fifty-nine DDX41 variants were detected: 27 (46%) appeared somatic and 32 (54%) were presumably germline mutations. The majority of presumed germline mutations were upstream of the Helicase 2 domain (93%) and involved loss of the start codon (30%). The majority of somatic mutations were within the Helicase 2 domain (78%), with the missense mutation p.R525H being most common (67%). There was a significant difference in the location of germline or somatic mutations (P < .0001). Concomitant mutations were detected involving 19 genes, but only TP53 (n = 11, 32%), ASXL1 (n = 8, 24%), and JAK2 (n = 4, 12%) were recurrent. Twenty (59%) patients showed diploid cytogenetics. Twenty-three (68%) patients presented with AML or MDS-EB-2, suggesting an association with high-grade myeloid neoplasm. Patients with myeloid neoplasms carrying DDX41 mutations show male predominance (3:1), higher age at presentation, association with TP53 mutations, and association with high-grade myeloid neoplasms in our cohort at a referral cancer center setting. These findings support the recognition of myeloid neoplasms with DDX41 mutation as unique, need for germline confirmation, and further assessment of family members.

Unique Case of Myeloproliferative Neoplasm with Two Rare Clonal Abnormalities: Rare JAK2 Exon 12 Mutation and Rare e14a3 (b3a3) BCR/ABL Fusion Transcript.

Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are clonal disorders divided into Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) or Ph chromosome-negative MPNs. Co-occurrence of these disease entities is very rare and typically involves presence of common p190 or p210 BCR/ABL fusion transcript (responsible for CML) along with JAK2V617F mutation (most common driver mutation in Ph-negative MPNs). Because of the rarity of such cases, it is not clear if the outcomes are any different in these patients. In this article, we report a unique patient with polycythemia vera driven by a rare complex in-frame deletion-insertion mutation in JAK2 exon 12, and CML driven by uncommon p210 e14a3 (b3a3) BCR/ABL fusion transcript. We describe clinical and laboratory features, bone marrow pathology, treatment, and overall outcome.

Lichenoid dermatitis from immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy: An immune-related adverse event with mycosis-fungoides-like morphologic and molecular features.

Cutaneous immune-related adverse events (irAEs) are a known consequence of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy and may exhibit a spectrum of morphologic features both clinically and histologically. Lichenoid dermatitis associated with ICI therapy (LD-ICI) is the most frequently encountered histopathologic type of irAE biopsied by dermatologists. There is frequent clinical and histologic overlap between irAEs and several reactive and neoplastic dermatologic disorders; thus, clinical information is essential. LD-ICI with histologic, immunohistochemical, and molecular features typical of mycosis fungoides (MF) are unique. Here, we report a patient who developed LD-ICI with MF-like morphologic features with monoclonal T-cell receptor gene rearrangement on consecutive biopsies during ICI therapy. The development of monoclonal LD-ICI is important for clinicians and pathologists to recognize in patients receiving ICI therapy.

TP53 mutations are common in mantle cell lymphoma, including the indolent leukemic non-nodal variant.

INTRODUCTION: Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive B-cell neoplasm, but clinically indolent subtypes are also recognized. Data on the utility of mutation profiling in the context of routine workup and its role in risk-stratification of MCL patients are limited. In this study, we describe the mutational landscape and clinicopathologic correlates of a series of MCL cases at a single-institution setting. METHODS: Samples from 26 patients with MCL were evaluated by NGS using DNA extracted from peripheral blood (PB) or bone marrow (BM). Evaluation of extent of PB or BM involvement was performed using flow cytometry immunophenotyping. RESULTS: The study group included 17 (65%) men and 9 (35%) women with a median age of 65 years (range, 50-94). Twenty-one (81%) patients had nodal MCL (N-MCL) and 5 (19%) had the "leukemic variant" (L-MCL). Mutated genesincluded TP53 (35%), ATM (27%), CARD11 (10%); and FBXW7, NOTCH1, SPEN, BIRC3 (~5% each). Most mutations were clonal in nature. Ten unique TP53 mutations were identified in 9 samples, including 3 L-MCL cases. There was no difference in the frequency of TP53 mutations between L-MCL and N-MCL groups (p = 0.3), but TP53 mutations were subclonal in 2/3 L-MCL cases. Identification of clonal TP53 alterations in L-MCL patients prompted initiation of therapy despite low tumor burden. CONCLUSIONS: TP53 is commonly mutated in MCL. TP53 mutations may be clonal or subclonal. Seemingly indolent L-MCL may harbor subclonal TP53 mutations which may serve as a useful biomarker for prognostication, therapeutic planning, follow-up monitoring, and early detection of clonal expansion.

A reevaluation of erythroid predominance in Acute Myeloid Leukemia using the updated WHO 2016 Criteria.

The 2016 WHO update changed the diagnostic criteria for myeloid neoplasms with erythroid predominance, limiting the diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia to cases with ≥20% blasts in the bone marrow or peripheral blood. Although acute myeloid leukemia with ≥50% erythroid cells has historically been presumed to represent acute myeloid leukemia with myelodysplasia-related changes, this hypothesis has never been systematically examined. We sought to investigate the clinicopathologic, cytogenetic, and molecular features of acute myeloid leukemia with erythroid predominance to subclassify cases as defined by the 2016 WHO. We retrospectively identified patients with ≥50% erythroid precursors and either ≥20% bone marrow blasts or ≥20% peripheral blood blasts at the time of initial diagnosis at seven major academic centers. Laboratory and clinical data were obtained. Patients were then reclassified according to 2016 WHO guidelines. A matched control group was also obtained. We identified 146 patients with acute myeloid leukemia with erythroid predominance (62% M, average age: 62 y, range: 5-93 y). Of these, 91 were acute myeloid leukemia with myelodysplasia-related changes, 20 (14%) were therapy-related myeloid neoplasm, 23 (16%) acute myeloid leukemia, not otherwise specified, and ten acute myeloid leukemia with recurrent cytogenetic/molecular abnormalities. The bone marrow blast count ranged from 9-41%. There was no difference in survival for patients with erythroid predominance compared to patients with acute myeloid leukemia without erythroid proliferations. In a multivariable analysis, cytogenetic risk was the only significant predictor of survival. We find a significantly lower rate of FLT3 and RAS pathway alterations in acute myeloid leukemia with erythroid predominance compared to controls. Our study is one of the first to apply the 2016 WHO guidelines for classification of acute myeloid leukemia. We find acute myeloid leukemia with erythroid predominance is a heterogeneous group and that erythroid richness has no impact on overall survival.

Early T-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (ETP-ALL/LBL) in adolescents and adults: a high-risk subtype.

Early T-cell precursor (ETP) acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (ALL/LBL) is a recently recognized high-risk T lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (T-ALL/LBL) subgroup. The optimal therapeutic approaches to adult patients with ETP-ALL/LBL are poorly characterized. In this study, we compared the outcomes of adults with ETP-ALL/LBL who received treatment on frontline regimens with those of patients with other T-ALL/LBL immunophenotypic subtypes. Patients with newly diagnosed T-ALL/LBL who received frontline chemotherapy between the years 2000 and 2014 at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center were identified and immunophenotypically categorized into early, thymic, and mature per the World Health Organization (WHO) classification using CD1a and surface CD3 status. Patients with ETP-ALL/LBL were identified on the basis of the following immunophenotypes: CD1a(-), CD8(-), CD5(-)(dim), and positivity for 1 or more stem cell or myeloid antigens. A total of 111 patients with T-ALL/LBL (68% T-ALL; 32% T-LBL) with adequate immunophenotype data were identified. The median age was 30 years (range, 13-79). There was no difference in the outcomes of patients based on the WHO subtypes. Nineteen patients (17%) had ETP-ALL/LBL. The complete remission rate /complete remission with incomplete platelet recovery rate in patients with ETP-ALL/LBL was significantly lower than that of non-ETP-ALL/LBL patients (73% vs 91%;P= .03). The median overall survival for patients with ETP-ALL/LBL was 20 months vs not reached for the non-ETP-ALL/LBL patients (P= .008). ETP-ALL/LBL represents a high-risk disease subtype of adult ALL. Novel treatment strategies are needed to improve treatment outcomes in this T-ALL/LBL subset.

Increased MYC copy number is an independent prognostic factor in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Patients with double-hit or triple-hit lymphoma have a significantly worse prognosis compared to patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma without MYC rearrangement. However, the prognostic importance of extra copies of MYC, BCL2, or BCL6 has not been fully explored. We studied 663 patients with de novo diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in whom the status of MYC/8q24, BCL2/18q21, and BCL6/3q27 were assessed by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Cases of double or triple extra copy lymphoma were defined by the presence of increased MYC copies and increased BCL2 and/or BCL6 copies or rearrangement. In total, 76 patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma had MYC extra copies including 43 cases of double or triple extra copy lymphoma; 105 patients had diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with MYC-R including 56 double- or triple-hit lymphoma; and 482 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients had no MYC abnormality (MYC normal). Patients with MYC extra copies, similar to MYC-R, had a worse overall survival compared with MYC normal patients (both P<0.01). The prognosis between patients with MYC extra copies and MYC-R was not statistically significantly different (P=0.086). Cell-of-origin classification failed to correlate with survival in the MYC extra copies group, similar to the MYC-R patient group. Compared with patients with double- or triple-hit lymphoma, patients with double or triple extra copy lymphoma had a higher complete remission rate (P=0.02), but there was no significant statistical difference in overall survival (P=0.089). Intensive induction chemotherapy regimens improved the overall survival of patients with double or triple extra copy lymphoma, but there was no significant improvement of overall survival in patients with MYC-R tumors. Multivariate analysis showed that MYC extra copy in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is an independent poor prognostic factor, similar to MYC rearrangement.

Morphologic and Molecular Characteristics of De Novo AML With JAK2 V617F Mutation.

Background:JAK2 V617F mutation (mut) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is rare. We describe the clinicopathologic findings of a single-institution series of 11 de novo AML cases with JAK2 V617. Methods: We identified cases of de novo AML with JAK2 V617F over a 10-year period. We reviewed diagnostic peripheral blood and bone marrow (BM) morphologic, cytogenetic, and molecular studies, including next-generation sequencing. The control group consisted of 12 patients with JAK2 wild-type (wt) AML matched for age, sex, and diagnosis. Results: We identified 11 patients (0.5%) with JAK2 V617F, with a median age at diagnosis of 72.5 years (range, 36-90 years). Ten neoplasms were classified as AML with myelodysplasia-related changes and 1 as AML with t(8;21)(q22;q22). All JAK2mut AML cases showed at least bilineage dysplasia, 7 of 11 showed fibrosis, 8 of 11 had an abnormal karyotype, and 5 had deletions or monosomy of chromosomes 5 and 7. Using the European LeukemiaNet (ELN) classification, 9 patients (82%) with JAK2mut AML were intermediate-2 and adverse risk. Cases of JAK2mut AML did not have mutations in other activating signaling pathways (P=.013); 7 (64%) showed additional mutations in at least one gene involving DNA methylation and/or epigenetic modification. Patients with JAK2mut AML had a significantly higher median BM granulocyte percentage (12% vs 3.5%; P=.006) and a higher frequency of ELN intermediate-2 and adverse risk cytogenetics (P=.04) compared with those with JAK2wt AML. JAK2mut AML showed higher circulating blasts, but this difference was not significant (17% vs 5.5%; P=not significant). No difference was seen in the median overall survival rate of patients with JAK2mut AML versus those with JAK2wt AML (14 vs 13.5 months, respectively). Conclusions: De novo JAK2mut AML is rare and frequently found in patients with dysplasia, BM fibrosis, and abnormal karyotype with intermediate- or high-risk features; gene mutations in DNA methylation and epigenetic-modifying pathways; and absence of gene mutations in activating signaling pathways.