Treatment response of a two-dose regimen of dose-adjusted inotuzumab ozogamicin in relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia / 中华血液学杂志

Objective: To observe the treatment response of a two-dose regimen of inotuzumab ozogamicin (inotuzumab), a monoclonal antibody targeting CD22, for patients with heavily treated relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (R/R B-ALL), including those failed or relapsed after chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) -T-cell therapy. Methods: Pediatric and adult patients who received two doses of inotuzumab and who were evaluated after inotuzumab treatment were included. Antibody infusions were performed between March 2020 and September 2022. All patients expressed CD22 antigen as detected by flow cytometry (>80% leukemic cells displaying CD22) before treatment. For adults, the maximum dosage per administration was 1 mg (with a total of two administrations). For children, the maximum dosage per administration was 0.85 mg/m(2) (no more than 1 mg/dose; total of two administrations). The total dosage administered to each patient was less than the standard dosage of 1.8 mg/m(2). Results: Twenty-one patients with R/R B-ALL were included, including five children (<18 years old) and sixteen adults. Seventeen patients presented with 5.0% -99.0% leukemic blasts in the bone marrow/peripheral blood or with extramedullary disease, and four patients were minimal residual disease (MRD) -positive. Fourteen patients underwent both CD19 and CD22 CAR-T-cell therapy, four underwent CD19 CAR-T-cell therapy, and three underwent blinatumomab therapy. Eleven patients underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). After inotuzumab treatment, 14 of 21 patients (66.7% ) achieved a complete response (CR, one was MRD-positive CR), and all four MRD-positive patients turned MRD-negative. Four of six patients who failed recent CD22 CAR-T-cell therapy achieved a CR after subsequent inotuzumab treatment. Seven patients (33.3% ) demonstrated no response. Grade 1-3 hepatotoxicity occurred in five patients (23.8% ), one child with no response experienced hepatic veno-occlusive disease (HVOD) during salvage transplantation and recovered completely. Conclusion: For patients with heavily treated R/R B-ALL, including those who had undergone allo-HSCT and CD19/CD22 CAR-T-cell therapy, the two-dose regimen of inotuzumab resulted in a CR rate of 66.7%, and the frequency of hepatotoxicity and HVOD was low.

Analysis of cytogenetic characteristics of primary childhood B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and risk factors for first treatment response / 白血病·淋巴瘤

Objective:To investigate the cytogenetic characteristics and influencing factors associated with first treatment response in primary childhood B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL).Methods:The data of 49 children with primary B-ALL who were admitted to the First Hospital of Xiamen University from April 2019 to September 2021 were retrospectively collected, and the clinical characteristics, cytogenetic and molecular biology findings and other clinical indicators before and after treatment were obtained. Genotyping, clinical risk stratification after the first induction chemotherapy and chemotherapy regimen development were performed according to the pediatric ALL treatment specification (2018 version). The relationship between different genotypes and clinical indicators in children with B-ALL was analyzed, and the correlation between clinical risk stratification and each indicator was analyzed by Spearman rank correlation analysis.Results:The median age of 49 children was 3.0 years old (interquartile range: 3.2 years old), 32 cases (65.3%) were male and 17 cases (34.7%) were female, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.88∶1. Thirty-five cases (71.4%) had gene mutations before treatment and 14 cases (28.6%) had no mutations. Among the 35 cases with mutations, E2A-PBX1 was found in 5 cases (10.2%), including 1 case with Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-like; IKZF1 deletion was found in 8 cases (16.3%), including 4 cases with Ph-like, 1 case with Ph-positive, and 1 case with MLL rearrangement; MLL rearrangement was found in 3 cases (6.1%); Ph-like alone was found in 12 cases (24.5%); TEL-AML1 was found in 6 cases (12.2%), including 2 cases with Ph-like; 1 case (2.0%) with Ph-positive alone. The clinical risk stratification showed that 7 cases (14.3%) had high risk, 28 cases (57.1%) had intermediate risk, and 14 cases (28.6%) had low risk. The proportions of patients with high and intermediate clinical risk before induction chemotherapy [20.0% (7/35) vs. 0.0% (0/14), 62.9% (22/35) vs. 42.9% (6/14)] and the proportion of patients with altered mutation status on day 33 of induction chemotherapy [42.9% (15/35) vs. 0.0% (0/14)] were higher in patients with mutations before induction chemotherapy than those in patients without gene mutations before treatment (all P < 0.01). The gene mutation or not before treatment was not correlated with gender, white blood cell count at first diagnosis, hormone sensitivity, minimal residual disease (MRD) from the 15th to the 19th day of induction chemotherapy, and MRD on the 33rd day of induction chemotherapy (all P > 0.05). Clinical risk stratification of children was associated with white blood cell count at first diagnosis ( r = 0.392, P = 0.005), neutrophil count ( r = 0.453, P = 0.001), lymphocyte count ( r = 0.418, P = 0.001), monocyte count ( r = 0.359, P = 0.017), blood uric acid level ( r = 0.378, P = 0.007), and proportion of bone marrow naive lymphocyte count before treatment ( r = 0.316, P = 0.027) and from 15th to the 19th day of induction chemotherapy ( r = 0.399, P = 0.005) and the 33rd day of induction chemotherapy ( r = 0.408, P = 0.028), proportion of children with bone marrow MRD ≥ 0.000 1 on the 33rd day of induction chemotherapy ( χ2 = 15.42, P < 0.001), and proportion of children with gene mutations before treatment ( χ2 = 9.10, P = 0.005). Conclusions:High levels of leukocytes, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, naive lymphocytes, blood uric acid, and naive lymphocytes from the 15th to the 19th day and the 33rd day of chemotherapy, MRD on the 33rd day of chemotherapy and genotype in children with B-ALL may be associated with poor response to treatment. Clinical risk stratification is associated with gene mutation status, and gene mutation may be an important indicator of treatment response in children with B-ALL.

Clinical features and prognosis of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia children with intrachromosomal amplification of chromosome 21 / 白血病·淋巴瘤

Objective:To investigate the clinical features and prognosis of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) children with intrachromosomal amplification of chromosome 21 (iAMP21).Methods:The data of 233 children diagnosed with B-ALL who received chemotherapy according to Chinese Children Cancer Group (CCCG) - acute lymphoblastic leukemia -2015 (CCCG-ALL-2015) protocol in the Affiliated Union Hospital of Fujian Medical University from January 2019 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. These patients were divided into iAMP21 group and non-iAMP21 group according to whether iAMP21 was positive in the bone marrow fluid of children before chemotherapy based on ETV6-RUNX1 probe fluorescence in situ hybridization. Children in iAMP21 group received CCCG-ALL-2015 intermediate-risk group regimen induction chemotherapy, while children in non-iAMP21 group received different intensities of chemotherapy according to the clinical risk classification. The clinicopathological characteristics of patients were compared in both groups, the therapeutic efficacy and prognosis of B-ALL children with iAMP21 was analyzed.Results:iAMP21 was found in 5 (2.1%) of 233 B-ALL children. The median hemoglobin concentration in iAMP21 group was higher than that in non-iAMP21 group [99 g/L (71-148 g/L) vs. 74 g/L (30-156 g/L); U = 268.50, P = 0.043]; there were 4 cases (80%) with bone pain in iAMP21 group (5 cases) and 53 cases (23.2%) with bone pain in non-iAMP21 group (228 cases),and the difference in the osteoarticular pain incidence of both groups was statistically significant ( χ2 = 8.53, P = 0.017). There were no significant differences in the proportion of patients with different gender, age, white blood cell counts, platelet counts, hepatosplenomegaly between the two groups (all P > 0.05). Among 5 children with iAMP21, 1 patient was detected with high CRLF2 expression and 1 patient with IKZF1 1-8 exon loss of heterozygosity. The above mentioned two children with iAMP21, whose minimal residual disease (MRD) were still positive after consolidation therapy, and then they received chimeric antigen receptor T-cell treatment and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. MRD of the other 3 children with iAMP21 turned negative after induction therapy. Up to the last follow-up in October 2021, 5 patients with iAMP21 had disease-free survival. Conclusions:The incidence of B-ALL children with iAMP21 is about 2%. These patients are prone to osteoarticular pain and have relatively mild anemia. The curative effect of some children is still poor after active treatment,which needs to be further clarified with more samples.

Prognostic significance of IKZF1 gene deletions in patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia / 中华血液学杂志

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prognostic significance of IKZF1 gene deletion in patients with acute B lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) . Methods: The clinical data of 142 patients with B-ALL diagnosed in Nanfang Hospital between March 2016 and September 2019 were analyzed. Results: IKZF1 deletion was found in 36.0% of the 142 patients with B-ALL, whereas exon 4-7 deletion was found in 44.0% . White blood cell counts were higher in patients with the IKZF1 deletion (52.0% and 28.3% , P=0.005) ; these patients also experienced worse effects of mid-term induction therapy (40.0% and 70.7% , P<0.001) and had a higher proportion of Philadelphia chromosome-positive (52.0% and 21.7% , respectively, P<0.001) . Univariate analysis revealed that the 3-year overall survival rate (OS) and event-free survival rate (EFS) in the IKZF1 deletion group were significantly lower than the IKZF1 wild-type group [ (37.1±7.3) % vs (54.7±5.4) % , (51.8±7.9) % vs (73.9±4.7) % ; P=0.025, 0.013, respectively]. Multivariable analysis showed that harboring IKZF1 deletion was an adverse factor of EFS and OS (HR=1.744, 2.036; P=0.022, 0.020, respectively) . Furthermore, the IKZF1 deletion/chemotherapy group had significantly lower 3-year OS, EFS, and disease-free survival rates than other subgroups. In the IKZF1 deletion cohort, allo-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) significantly improved OS and EFS compared to non-allo-HSCT[ (67.9±10.4) % vs (31.9±11.0) % , (46.6±10.5) % vs (26.7±9.7) % ; P=0.005, 0.026, respectively]. Conclusion: Pediatric-inspired chemotherapy was unable to completely reverse the negative effect of IKZF1 deletion on prognosis. Pediatric-inspired regimen therapy combined with allo-HSCT, in contrast, significantly improved the overall prognosis of IKZF1 deletion B-ALL.

Biomarkers for chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy in B cell malignancies can assess therapeutic efficacy and toxicity / 中华检验医学杂志

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell immunotherapy have developed for nearly two decades and achieved great clinical success in the treatment of hematological malignancies. Efficacy monitoring and toxicity management of CAR-T cell immunotherapy are essential steps to ensure safety and improve overall survival in multicenter clinical trials and commercialized treatments. CAR-T cell immunotherapy related biomarkers can be used as an indicator of patient baseline characteristics, tumor biology, and CAR-T cell function. Besides, side effects during treatment can also be assessed by the biomarkers.

Significance of multicolor flow cytometry in the detection of minimal residual disease in monitoring CD19-CAR-T cell bridging allo-HSCT treatment of B-ALL patients / 中华检验医学杂志

Objective:To investigate the significance of multicolor flow cytometry (MFC) monitoring of minimal residual disease (MRD) in the course of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) after CD19-chimeric antigen receptor(CAR)-T cell immunotherapy for patients with refractory, relapsed B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (r/r B-ALL).Methods:37 patients with r/r B-ALL admitted to Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital from January to July 2019, aged 15 (6, 19) years old, including 24 males and 13 females, were treated with CD19-CAR-T cell immunotherapy bridging allo-HSCT. MFC with cytoplasmic CD79a antibody to set up B-cell gates was used to monitor patients′ bone marrow (BM), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and tissue samples on day 0 (prior to the CAR-T cell immunotherapy), day 15, day 28 post CAR-T cell immunotherapy, and post transplantation.The MRD values of these samples were analyzed to evaluate the residual tumor cells and metastasis. The killing effect of the CAR-T cells was evaluated by the recovery of CD19+B cells before transplantation and the period between the timepoint when CD19+B cells was recovered and the timepoint when CAR-T cells were infused. Peripheral blood CAR-T cells were counted at different time points. Statistic analysis was performed by Kaplan-Meie assay and Log-rank test to analyze the difference of univariate cumulative survival.Results:(1)Among the 37 patients, 8 died and 29 survived. 5 patients relapsed after transplantation, of which 4 relapsed patients died and 1 survived. (2)MFC MRD negative remission rate of the death group was lower than that of the survival group at the following time points: post-CAR-T therapy and prior to transplantation (5/8 vs. 28/29, χ 2=7.540, P=0.006); day 15 of the CAR-T cell reinfusion (3/8 vs. 24/29, χ 2=6.512, P=0.011); day 28 of the reinfusion (3/8 vs. 276/29, χ 2=10.065, P=0.002). The probability of extramedullary MFC MRD positive tumor infiltration in the death group was higher than that in the survival group(7/8 vs. 14/29, χ 2=3.931, P=0.047). After CAR-T cell immunotherapy, the recovery period of CD19-positive cells in the death group, or the time for CAR-T cells to kill CD19-positive cells, was shorter than that in the survival group [42.00 days(30.00,49.00) vs. 55.00 days(41.50,73.50), Z=0.022, P=0.020]. Conclusion:The positive results of MRD by MFC at the following timepoints may predict unfavorable outcomes, such as post-CAR-T therapy and prior to transplantation, day 15 and 28 of the CAR-T cell immunotherapy, which may provide some guidance for clinical management.

Clinical characteristics and prognosis analysis of childhood B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia with TEL-AML1 fusion gene positive / 白血病·淋巴瘤

Objective@#To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of children B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) with TEL-AML1 fusion gene positive.@*Methods@#Clinical characteristics, therapeutic effects and prognostic factors of 55 children B-ALL patients with TEL-AML1 fusion gene positive in Children's Hospital of Shanxi from January 2013 to June 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Kaplan-Meier method was used to evaluate 3-year event-free survival (EFS) rate and overall survival (OS) rate. Influencing factors of EFS and OS were evaluated by using Cox regression analysis.@*Results@#TEL-AML1 fusion gene was positive in all 55 children, and no other fusion gene positive was merged. There were 4 patients (7.3%) ≥10 years old. At initial diagnosis, 33 patients (60.0%) had hepatomegaly, 28 patients (50.9%) had splenomegaly, and 27 patients (49.1%) had superficial lymphadenectasis. There were 5 patients (9.1%) with white blood cell count ≥50×109/L, and 19 patients (34.6%) had abnormalities of chromosome. All the 55 children were divided into the low risk group [36 cases (65.5%)], the intermediate risk group [18 cases(32.7%)], high risk group [1 case (1.8%)] according to Morphology, Immunology, Cytogenetics and Molecular Biology (MICM) and adjusted risk. After regular treatments, 50 patients achieved complete remission (CR) on the 15th day. The CR rate after one-course of induction therapy was 100.0%. On the 33rd day, 43 patients (78.2%) had minimal residual disease (MRD) <10-4, 12 patients (21.8%) had MRD≥10-4 and MRD<10-2, 1 patient (1.8%) had MRD≥10-3 at the 12th week. During three to six months, the negative rate of fusion gene was 61.8% (34/55). There were 3 deaths (5.5%), and one (1.8%) of them died of recurrence, and the recurrence time was 27 months from the initial diagnosis; the other 2 cases (3.6%) died of infection during chemotherapy. In 55 patients, the 3-year EFS rate and OS rate was 90.3% and 93.2%, respectively. The 3-year EFS rate and OS rate in the low risk group was 100.0% both; the 3-year EFS rate and OS rate in the intermediate risk group was 78.7% and 86.6%, respectively; the 3-year EFS rate and OS rate in the high risk group was 0 both and one died. EFS rate and OS rate in low risk group were higher than those in the intermediate risk group, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The EFS rate was 92.0% and 0 at the 12th week MRD<10-3 group and MRD≥10-3 group, and OS rate was 95.0% and 0 at the 12th week MRD<10-3 group and MRD≥10-3 group (P < 0.05). Cox multivariate analysis showed that MRD at the 12th week was an independent risk factor influencing EFS and OS (OR= 2.971, 95% CI 1.330-6.633, P= 0.008; OR= 2.884, 95% CI 1.295-6.419, P= 0.009).@*Conclusions@#Children B-ALL patients with TEL-AML1 fusion gene positive have a low recurrence rate, high survival rate and good prognosis. Risk stratification and the 12th week MRD are the influencing factors of the prognosis.

Clinical characteristics and prognosis analysis of adult B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia with E2A-PBX1 fusion gene positive / 白血病·淋巴瘤

Objective@#To investigate the clinical features of adult B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) with E2A-PBX1 fusion gene positive.@*Methods@#The clinical data of 91 Philadelphia chromosome negative B-ALL patients who received chemotherapy regularly in Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University from March 2015 to December 2017 were collected. According to the fusion gene detection results, the patients were divided into E2A-PBX1 fusion gene positive group and E2A-PBX1 fusion gene negative group. The clinical features and prognosis of both groups were retrospectively analyzed. And then E2A-PBX1 fusion gene negative group was further divided into MLL-AF4 fusion gene positive group and the other ALL groups,which were compared with E2A-PBX1 fusion gene positive group in the prognosis.@*Results@#There were 11 ALL patients with E2A-PBX1 fusion gene positive, and 80 ALL patients with E2A-PBX1 fusion gene negative. The level of lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) in E2A-PBX1 fusion gene positive group was higher than that in E2A-PBX1 fusion gene negative group [4 063 U/L (1 070- 9 554 U/L) vs. 454 U/L (103- 18 651 U/L), U=-4.700, P < 0.01], and there were no statistically significant differences in age, gender, white blood cell count and extramedullary invasion (all P > 0.05). The immunophenotypes of ALL patients with E2A-PBX1 fusion gene positive were all common B-cell phenotype. Out 4 of 7 ALL patients showed the different expression of Philadelphia-like ALL phenotype CRLF2 or phosphorylated CRKL or phosphorylated STAT5 by using flow cytometry. The complete remission (CR), minimal residual disease (MRD)-negative and the recurrence for 11 cases of E2A-PBX1 fusion gene positive group included 9, 7, 8 cases, respectively after first course of induction chemotherapy. The CR, MRD-negative and the recurrence for 80 cases of E2A-PBX1 fusion gene negative group included 71, 53, 26 cases, respectively after the first course of induction chemotherapy. There were no statistically significant differences in the CR and MRD-negative between the two groups after the first course of induction chemotherapy (P= 0.721, P= 0.487), but there was a statistical difference in the recurrence (χ2= 7.751, P= 0.012). The median follow-up time was 17 months (1-44 months), and the 1-year overall survival (OS) rate and 1-year event-free survival (EFS) rate of E2A-PBX1 fusion gene positive ALL group were lower than those of the negative group (OS: 43.6% vs. 70.0%, P= 0.020; EFS: 13.6% vs. 60.0%, P= 0.002). Subgroup analysis showed that there were no statistical differences between E2A-PBX1 fusion gene positive group and MLL-AF4 fusion gene positive group in 1-year OS rate and 1-year EFS rate (P= 0.617, P= 0.984).@*Conclusions@#E2A-PBX1 fusion gene positive rate is low in adult B-ALL patients with a good response to traditional chemotherapy in the early stage, but its cumulative recurrence rate is high. It is a high-risk cytogenetic abnormality which is similar to MLL gene rearrangement and needs to explore novel therapy strategies.

The expression of CRLF2 in adult Ph negative acute B lymphocytic leukemia and its prognostic significance / 中华血液学杂志

Objective: To detect the expression of CRLF2 in adult Ph negative acute B lymphocytic leukemia (B-ALL) in newly diagnosed cases, and to investigate the relationship between CRLF2 and the general clinical characteristics, efficacy and prognosis. Methods: 103 cases of newly diagnosed adult B-ALL patients were investigated from Apr 2016 to Dec 2017 in the Department of Hematology, Henan Cancer Hospital. Bone marrow samples was used to detect the expression of CRLF2 in leukemic cells. The expression of CRLF2 ≥20% was defined as CRLF2-high group and <20% was defined as CRLF2-low group. The clinical characteristics and prognosis of the two groups were compared. Results: The Median overall survival (OS) and disease free survial (DFS) in CRLF2-high group were 9.0 months and 4.25 months, respectively. CRLF2-low group were 15.5 months and 10.25 months, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in median OS and DFS between the two groups (P=0.007, P=0.000) . The 18-month OS and DFS in CRLF2-high group were 38.6% and 25.1%, respectively. CRLF2-low group were 57.8% and 42.3%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed high expression of CRLF2 was an independent risk factor for OS (HR=2.991, 95% CI 1.429-6.261, P=0.004) and DFS (HR=2.374, 95%CI 1.146-4.960, P=0.041) in patients. Conclusion: Patients with high expression of CRLF2 had poor prognosis.

Spectrum of somatic mutations and their prognostic significance in adult patients with B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia / 中华血液学杂志

Objective: To investigate the spectrum of gene mutations in adult patients with B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), and to analyze the influences of different gene mutations on prognosis. Methods: DNA samples from 113 adult B-ALL patients who administered from June 2009 to September 2015 were collected. Target-specific next generation sequencing (NGS) approach was used to analyze the mutations of 112 genes (focused on the specific mutational hotspots) and all putative mutations were compared against multiple databases to calculate the frequency spectrum. The impact of gene mutation on the patients' overall survival (OS) and recurrence free survival (RFS) was analyzed by the putative mutations through Kaplan-Meier, and Cox regression methods. Results: Of the 113 patients, 103 (92.0%) harbored at least one mutation and 29 (25.6%) harbored more than 3 genes mutation. The five most frequently mutated genes in B-ALL are SF1, FAT1, MPL, PTPN11 and NRAS. Gene mutations are different between Ph+ B-ALL and Ph- B-ALL patients. Ph- B-ALL patients with JAK-STAT signal pathway related gene mutation, such as JAK1/JAK2 mutation showed a poor prognosis compared to the patients without mutation (OS: P=0.011, 0.001; RFS: P=0.014,<0.001). Patients with PTPN11 mutation showed better survival than those without mutation, but the difference was not statistically significant (P value > 0.05). Besides, in Ph+ B-ALL patients whose epigenetic modifications related signaling pathway genes were affected, they had a worse prognosis (OS: P=0.038; RFS: P=0.047). Conclusion: Gene mutations are common in adult ALL patients, a variety of signaling pathways are involved. The frequency and spectrum are varied in different types of B-ALL. JAK family gene mutation usually indicates poor prognosis. The co-occurrence of somatic mutations in adult B-ALL patients indicate the genetic complex and instability of adult B-ALL patients.

The expression of CRLF2 in adult Ph negative acute B lymphocytic leukemia and its prognostic significance / 中华血液学杂志

Objective@#To detect the expression of CRLF2 in adult Ph negative acute B lymphocytic leukemia (B-ALL) in newly diagnosed cases, and to investigate the relationship between CRLF2 and the general clinical characteristics, efficacy and prognosis.@*Methods@#103 cases of newly diagnosed adult B-ALL patients were investigated from Apr 2016 to Dec 2017 in the Department of Hematology, Henan Cancer Hospital. Bone marrow samples was used to detect the expression of CRLF2 in leukemic cells. The expression of CRLF2 ≥20% was defined as CRLF2-high group and <20% was defined as CRLF2-low group. The clinical characteristics and prognosis of the two groups were compared.@*Results@#The Median overall survival (OS) and disease free survial (DFS) in CRLF2-high group were 9.0 months and 4.25 months, respectively. CRLF2-low group were 15.5 months and 10.25 months, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in median OS and DFS between the two groups (P=0.007, P=0.000) . The 18-month OS and DFS in CRLF2-high group were 38.6% and 25.1%, respectively. CRLF2-low group were 57.8% and 42.3%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed high expression of CRLF2 was an independent risk factor for OS (HR=2.991, 95% CI 1.429-6.261, P=0.004) and DFS (HR=2.374, 95%CI 1.146-4.960, P=0.041) in patients.@*Conclusion@#Patients with high expression of CRLF2 had poor prognosis.

Spectrum of somatic mutations and their prognostic significance in adult patients with B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia / 中华血液学杂志

Objective@#To investigate the spectrum of gene mutations in adult patients with B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), and to analyze the influences of different gene mutations on prognosis.@*Methods@#DNA samples from 113 adult B-ALL patients who administered from June 2009 to September 2015 were collected. Target-specific next generation sequencing (NGS) approach was used to analyze the mutations of 112 genes (focused on the specific mutational hotspots) and all putative mutations were compared against multiple databases to calculate the frequency spectrum. The impact of gene mutation on the patients’ overall survival (OS) and recurrence free survival (RFS) was analyzed by the putative mutations through Kaplan-Meier, and Cox regression methods.@*Results@#Of the 113 patients, 103 (92.0%) harbored at least one mutation and 29 (25.6%) harbored more than 3 genes mutation. The five most frequently mutated genes in B-ALL are SF1, FAT1, MPL, PTPN11 and NRAS. Gene mutations are different between Ph+ B-ALL and Ph- B-ALL patients. Ph- B-ALL patients with JAK-STAT signal pathway related gene mutation, such as JAK1/JAK2 mutation showed a poor prognosis compared to the patients without mutation (OS: P=0.011, 0.001; RFS: P=0.014,<0.001). Patients with PTPN11 mutation showed better survival than those without mutation, but the difference was not statistically significant (P value > 0.05). Besides, in Ph+ B-ALL patients whose epigenetic modifications related signaling pathway genes were affected, they had a worse prognosis (OS: P=0.038; RFS: P=0.047).@*Conclusion@#Gene mutations are common in adult ALL patients, a variety of signaling pathways are involved. The frequency and spectrum are varied in different types of B-ALL. JAK family gene mutation usually indicates poor prognosis. The co-occurrence of somatic mutations in adult B-ALL patients indicate the genetic complex and instability of adult B-ALL patients.

Screening of adult Ph-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia by multiplex real-time quantitative PCR / 中华血液学杂志

Objective@#To investigate the feasibility of multiplex real-time RT-PCR with fluorescent probes in early screening of Ph-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and analyze the clinical feature and prognos.@*Method@#A total of 118 adult B-ALL patients diagnosed between October 2010 and March 2016 were enrolled in this study. Multiplex RT-PCR was used to detect the Ph-like ALL related fusion gene and CRLF2 expression in 58 BCR-ABL and MLL rearrangement negative patients. The clinical features, treatment response and prognosis were analyzed in Ph-like fusion gene positive and/or CRLF2 over-expression patients.@*Result@#Among 58 patients, 9 patients (9/58, 15.5%) showed Ph-like ALL related fusion genes positive and 10 patients (10/58, 17.2%) showed CRLF2 over-expression. There were statistical differences in age, WBC count, immunophenotypes, cytogenetics and risk stratification among Ph-like fusion gene positive or CRLF2 over-expression patients, Ph+ patients, MLL+ patients and B-other patients. The 2-year overall survival rates were 65%, 47%, 64% and 74% respectively among these four groups (P=0.043) . The 2-year relapse free survival rates were 51%, 39%, 62% and 70% respectively among these four groups (P=0.010) .@*Conclusion@#Routine screening of Ph-like ALL by multiplex RTPCR is feasible.

Intrachromosomal amplification of chromosome 21 (iAMP21) detected by ETV6/RUNX1 FISH screening in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a case report

Chromosome abnormalities that usually define high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia are the t(9;22)/ breakpoint cluster region protein-Abelson murine leukemia viral oncogene homolog 1, hypodiploid with < 44 chromosomes and 11q23/ myeloid/lymphoid leukemia gene rearrangements. The spectrum of acute lymphoblastic leukemia genetic abnormalities is nevertheless rapidly expanding. Therefore, newly described chromosomal aberrations are likely to have an impact on clinical care in the near future. Recently, the rare intrachromosomal amplification of chromosome 21 started to be considered a high-risk chromosomal abnormality. It occurs in approximately 2-5% of pediatric patients with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This abnormality is associated with a poor outcome. Hence, an accurate detection of this abnormality is expected to become very important in the choice of appropriate therapy. In this work the clinical and molecular cytogenetic evaluation by fluorescence in situ hybridization of a child with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia presenting the rare intrachromosomal amplification of chromosome 21 is described.