[Clinical efficacy and safety of blinatumomab bridging CAR-T cell therapy in the treatment of patients with adult acute B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia].

Objective: Exploring the efficacy and safety of bridging blinatumomab (BiTE) in combination with chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy for the treatment of adult patients with acute B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) . Methods: Clinical data from 36 adult B-ALL patients treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Suzhou University from August 2018 to May 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 36 cases were included: 18 men and 18 women. The median age was 43.5 years (21-72 years). Moreover, 21 cases of Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia were reported, and 16 of these cases were relapsed or refractory. Eighteen patients underwent blinatumomab bridging followed by CAR-T cell therapy, and 18 patients received CAR-T cell therapy. This study analyzed the efficacy and safety of treatment in two groups of patients. Results: In the BiTE bridge-to-CAR-T group, 16 patients achieved complete remission (CR) after BiTE immunotherapy, with a CR rate of 88.9%. One month after bridging CAR-T therapy, bone marrow examination showed a CR rate of 100.0%, and the minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity rate was higher than the nonbridging therapy group (94.4% vs. 61.1%, Fisher, P=0.041). The incidence of cytokine release syndrome and other adverse reactions in the BiTE bridge-to-CAR-T group was lower than that in the nonbridging therapy group (11.1% vs. 50.0%, Fisher, P=0.027). The follow-up reveals that 13 patients continued to maintain MRD negativity, and five patients experienced relapse 8.40 months (2.57-10.20 months) after treatment. Two of five patients with relapse achieved CR after receiving the second CAR-T cell therapy. In the nonbridging therapy group, 10 patients maintained continuous MRD negativity, 7 experienced relapse, and 6 died. The 1 year overall survival rate in the BiTE bridge-to-CAR-T group was higher than that in the nonbridging therapy group, with a statistically significant difference at the 0.1 level (88.9%±10.5% vs. 66.7%±10.9%, P=0.091) . Conclusion: BiTE bridging CAR-T cell therapy demonstrates excellent efficacy in adult B-ALL treatment, with a low recent recurrence rate and ongoing assessment of long-term efficacy during follow-up.

[The value of minimal residual disease and IKZF1 deletion for predicting prognosis in adult patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia].

Objective: To reassess the prognostic value of minimal residual disease (MRD) and IKZF1 gene deletions in adults with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) who received pediatric-specific chemotherapy regimens during the Nanfang Hospital PDT-ALL-2016 trial. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the prognosis of 149 adult patients with B-ALL who were admitted to Nanfang Hospital from January 2016 to September 2020. Prognostic factors were identified using Cox regression models. Results: The complete remission rate was 93.2% in 149 patients, with a 5-year overall survival (OS) rate of (54.3±5.0) % and a cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) of (47.5±5.2) %. The Cox regression analysis revealed that MRD positivity at day 45 (MRD(3)) after induction therapy was independently associated with relapse risk (HR=2.535, 95%CI 1.122-5.728, P=0.025). Deletion of IKZF1 gene was independently associated with mortality risk (HR=1.869, 95%CI 1.034-3.379, P=0.039). Based on MRD(3) and IKZF1 gene status, we categorized adult patients with B-ALL into the low-risk (MRD(3)-negative and IKZF1 gene deletion-negative) and high-risk (MRD(3)-positive and/or IKZF1 gene wild type) groups. The 5-year OS and CIR rates were (45.5±6.0) % vs (69.4±8.6) % (P<0.001) and (61.6±8.3) % vs (25.5±6.5) % (P<0.001), respectively, in the high-risk and low-risk groups, respectively. The multivariate analysis showed that the high-risk group was an independent risk factor for OS (HR=3.937, 95%CI 1.975-7.850, P<0.001) and CIR (HR=4.037, 95%CI 2.095-7.778, P<0.001) . Conclusion: The combined use of MRD and IKZF1 gene in prognostic stratification can improve clinical outcome prediction in adult patients with B-ALL, helping to guide their treatment.

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.

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.

[Treatment response of a two-dose regimen of dose-adjusted inotuzumab ozogamicin in relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia].

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.

[Prognostic significance of IKZF1 gene deletions in patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia].

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.

[Targeted immunotherapy efficacy analysis in patients with relapsed/refractory B cell acute lymphocytic leukemia].

Objective: Comparison of conventional chemotherapy and immunotargeted therapy efficacy in patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) acute B cell leukemia (B-ALL) . Methods: The clinical data of 212 patients with R/R B-ALL in the Affiliaed Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2008 to July 2020 were analyzed retrospectively to compare the response rate and survival time difference between conventional chemotherapy and immunotargeted therapies (antiCD19 CAR-T and CD3CD19 bi-specific antibody blinatumomab) , and to explore the related factors affecting prognosis. Results: The CR rate of patients with R/R B-ALL treated with anti-CD19 CAR-T cells was 80.4% , patients treated with blinatumomab was 62.5% , and patients treated with chemotherapy was 38.6% . There was significant difference in the CR rate among the three therapies (P<0.001) . CAR-T cells 1-year OS rate was 41.5% , which was significantly higher than that of the chemotherapy group (10.3% ) (P<0.001) . The 1-year PFS rate of CAR-T cells (30.1% ) was also significantly higher than that of the chemotherapy group (9.7% ) (P<0.001) . The median OS of patients with bridging allo-HSCT after CR treatment by CAR-T cells was 18.5 months, which was higher than that of patients without allo-HSCT (8 months) (P=0.027) . The median PFS of patients with allo-HSCT was 17 months, which was higher than that of patients without allo-HSCT (4 months) (P=0.001) . The 1-year OS rate of patients treated with blinatumomab was 14.3% , which was higher than that of the chemotherapy group (10.3% ) (P=0.018) . The 1-year PFS rate (14.6% ) was also higher than that of the chemotherapy group (9.7% ) (P=0.046) . The median OS and median PFS of patients with bridging allo-HSCT were 13 and 11 months, respectively, which was higher than that of patients without allo-HSCT (9.5 and 6 months) . The cytokine release syndrome (CRS) incidence in patients with R/R B-ALL treated with anti-CAR-T cells was 89.8% . Grades 3-4, grade 2, and grade 1 CRS were experienced by 30.2% , 11.3% and 58.5% patients, respectively. Only three patients (37.5% ) with blinatumomab developed CRS, all of which were grade 1. Conclusion: The response rate and survival rate of patients with R/R B-ALL treated with CD19 CAR-T cells and blinatumomab were significantly better than those treated with conventional chemotherapy.

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.

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.

[CART therapy followed by allo-HSCT for patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia relapsing after the first hematopoietic stem cell transplantation].

Objective: To study the clinical efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CART) treatment followed by a second allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who relapsed following the first HSCT. Methods: Retrospective analysis of the clinical characteristics and prognosis of 41 patients with B-cell ALL who received a second allo-HSCT from October 2015 to June 2020 in Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital. After the first HSCT, all patients received CD19-CART, or CD22-CART treatment following a relapse of bone marrow morphology or extramedullary leukemia. Results: A total of 41 patients (male, 21; female, 20) were included in this study. The median age at the second HSCT was 16 (3-46) years. There were 31 cases of bone marrow recurrence (75.6%) , 5 cases of extramedullary recurrence (12.2%) , and 5 cases of bone marrow and extramedullary recurrences (12.2%) . After relapse, 35 patients (85.4%) received CD19-CART treatment, 2 patients received CD22-CART treatment (4.9%) , and 4 patients received CD19-CART and CD22-CART treatments (9.8%) . The expected 3-year overall survival (OS) , leukemia-free survival, cumulative relapse incidence, and non-relapse mortality (NRM) of patients after the second HSCT were 48.9% (95%CI 23.0%-70.6%) , 41.8% (95%CI 17.3%-64.9%) , 8.8% (95%CI 2.9%-26.4%) , and 51.1% (95%CI 31.2%-83.6%) , respectively. The 1-year OS of patients who relapsed ≤6 months and >6 months after the first HSCT were 45.0% (95%CI 12.7%-73.5%) and 75.0% (95%CI 51.4% -88.8%) (P=0.017) , respectively. Conclusion: CART bridging in the second HSCT enables some B-cell ALL patients who relapsed after the first HSCT to achieve long-term survival. However, because of the high NRM, further modifications could help improve the outcome.

Minimal residual disease positive acute B lymphocytic leukemia: immunophenotyping analyses of 106 cases / 白血病·淋巴瘤

Objective To analyze the immunophenotypic characteristics of the patients with minimal residual disease (MRD) positive acute B lymphocytic leukemia (B-ALL). Methods The leukemia-associated immunophenotype (LAIP) of 106 cases with MRD positive B-ALL from Department of Hematology, Tianjin KingMed Diagnois Center between June 2014 and January 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. CD10, CD13/CD33, CD19, CD38, CD58, CD45 and other antibodies were used to analyze the MRD of B-ALL. Results All the patients were positive for CD19. CD34 was negatively or weakly positive expressed in 27 cases (25.4％). CD10 was negatively or weakly positive expressed in 23 cases (21.7％). CD10 was strongly positive in 24 cases (22.6％). Totally, CD10 was weakly or strongly expressed in 47 cases (44.3％). CD58 was strongly positive in 98 cases (92.5％). CD13/CD33 was positively or weakly positive expressed in 64 cases (60.4％). CD38 was negative or weakly expressed in 33 cases (31.1％). CD45 was negative in 21 cases (19.8％). 15 cases (14.1％) were positive for 6 types of LAIP; 30 (28.3％) cases were positive for 5 types of LAIP; 42 (39.6％) cases were positive for 4 types of LAIP; 13 (12.3％) cases were positive for 3 types of LAIP;5 cases (4.7％) were positive for 2 types of LAIP; only one case (0.9％) was positive for 1 type of LAIP. Conclusion The combination of CD58, CD13/CD33, CD10, CD38 and CD34 antibodies can distinguish the neoplastic blast/immature B lymphocytes from progenitor B cells. This strategy has a high accuracy for the judgement of MRD in B-ALL.

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 Childrenˊs 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.

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].

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.

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia B-Cell Normal Cellular Counterpart: Clues From a Functional Perspective.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is characterized by the clonal expansion of small mature-looking CD19+ CD23+ CD5+ B-cells that accumulate in the blood, bone marrow, and lymphoid organs. To date, no consensus has been reached concerning the normal cellular counterpart of CLL B-cells and several B-cell types have been proposed. CLL B-cells have remarkable phenotypic and gene expression profile homogeneity. In recent years, the molecular and cellular biology of CLL has been enriched by seminal insights that are leading to a better understanding of the natural history of the disease. Immunophenotypic and molecular approaches (including immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable gene mutational status, transcriptional and epigenetic profiling) comparing the normal B-cell subset and CLL B-cells provide some new insights into the normal cellular counterpart. Functional characteristics (including activation requirements and propensity for plasma cell differentiation) of CLL B-cells have now been investigated for 50 years. B-cell subsets differ substantially in terms of their functional features. Analysis of shared functional characteristics may reveal similarities between normal B-cell subsets and CLL B-cells, allowing speculative assignment of a normal cellular counterpart for CLL B-cells. In this review, we summarize current data regarding peripheral B-cell differentiation and human B-cell subsets and suggest possibilities for a normal cellular counterpart based on the functional characteristics of CLL B-cells. However, a definitive normal cellular counterpart cannot be attributed on the basis of the available data. We discuss the functional characteristics required for a cell to be logically considered to be the normal counterpart of CLL B-cells.

[Spectrum of somatic mutations and their prognostic significance in adult patients with B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia].

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.

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.