The effects of NUDT15 and TPMT variants on mercaptopurine treatment in Vietnamese pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients.

6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) plays a critical role in the treatment of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). NUDT15 and TPMT gene variants have been strongly associated with myelotoxicity caused by using 6-MP. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the frequency of NUDT15 and TPMT polymorphisms, as well as the impact of NUDT15 variants on the use of 6-MP to treat pediatric ALL in Vietnam. Sanger sequencing was applied to detect NUDT15 and TPMT gene variants in 70 pediatric ALL patients. Duration of drug interruption, level of neutropenia, and 6-MP tolerance dose were recorded. NUDT15 variants were detected from 23 out of 70 (32.9%) patients. Three well-known haplotype variants were identified as NUDT15 *2 (p.V18_V19insGV and p.R139C), *3 (p.R139C), and *6 (p.V18_V19insGV); besides, a novel NUDT15 p.R11Q was not previously reported. The NUDT15 wild-type, heterozygous variant, and homozygous variant genotypes were 67.1%, 30.1%, and 2.8%, respectively. Two TPMT heterozygous polymorphisms were TPMT*3C and *6, accounted for 2.8%. Patients with intermediate and low activity NUDT15 were given the median 6-MP tolerance dose of 55.2 and 37.2 versus 69.5 mg/m2/day of patients with NUDT15 normal activity (p = 0.0001). Patients with homozygous variant diplotype were drastically sensitive to 6-MP, with an average dose intensity of 49.6%, compared to 73.6% and 92.7% of those with heterozygous and wild-type diplotype, respectively (p = 0.0001). Our results suggest that 6-MP dose adjustment should be based on NUDT15 variants in pediatric Vietnamese ALL patients.

The First Vietnamese Patient of LEOPARD Syndrome due to a PTPN11 Mutation: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

LEOPARD syndrome is a rare congenital anomaly that involves several organs. Patients with this syndrome develop multiple lentigines resembling a leopard's hide. LEOPARD is an acronym of the major features constituting the syndrome including lentigines, electrocardiographic conduction defects, ocular hypertelorism, pulmonary valve stenosis, anomalies of genitalia, retardation of growth, and deafness. The syndrome is rare, and only 200 cases have been reported yet worldwide. We present the case of an 8-year-old female patient who visited the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital of Dermato-Venereology because of multiple brownish-black "dots" on her face and body. On examination, she also showed abnormalities in the maxillofacial bones, vertebrae, shoulders, sternum, and teeth, as well as deaf-mutism and growth retardation, which are typical of LEOPARD syndrome. Genetic analysis revealed a PTPN11 gene mutation in this case. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of LEOPARD syndrome reported in Vietnam.

Elucidation of the unique mutation spectrum of severe hearing loss in a Vietnamese pediatric population.

The mutational spectrum of deafness in Indochina Peninsula, including Vietnam, remains mostly undetermined. This significantly hampers the progress toward establishing an effective genetic screening method and early customized rehabilitation modalities for hearing loss. In this study, we evaluated the genetic profile of severe-to-profound hearing loss in a Vietnamese pediatric population using a hierarchical genetic analysis protocol that screened 11 known deafness-causing variants, followed by massively parallel sequencing targeting 129 deafness-associated genes. Eighty-seven children with isolated severe-to-profound non-syndromic hearing loss without family history were included. The overall molecular diagnostic yield was estimated to be 31.7%. The mutational spectrum for severe-to-profound non-syndromic hearing loss in our Vietnamese population was unique: The most prevalent variants resided in the MYO15A gene (7.2%), followed by GJB2 (6.9%), MYO7A (5.5%), SLC26A4 (4.6%), TMC1 (1.8%), ESPN (1.8%), POU3F4 (1.8%), MYH14 (1.8%), EYA1 (1.8%), and MR-RNR1 (1.1%). The unique spectrum of causative genes in the Vietnamese deaf population was similar to that in the southern Chinese deaf population. It is our hope that the mutation spectrum provided here could aid in establishing an efficient protocol for genetic analysis of severe-to-profound hearing loss and a customized screening kit for the Vietnamese population.

Molecular and Clinicopathological Features of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors in Vietnamese Patients

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most frequent mesenchymal neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract. Management of GIST patients is currently based on clinicopathological features and associated genetic changes. However, the detailed characteristics and molecular genetic features of GISTs have not yet been described in the Vietnamese population.METHODS: We first identified 155 patients with primary GIST who underwent surgery with primary curative intent between 2011 and 2014 at University Medical Center at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We evaluated the clinicopathological features and immunohistochemical reactivity to p53 and Ki-67 in these patients. Additionally, KIT genotyping was performed in 100 cases.RESULTS: The largest proportion of GISTs was classified as high-risk (43.2%). Of the 155 GISTs, 52 (33.5%) were positive for Ki-67, and 58 (37.4%) were positive for p53. The expression of Ki-67 and p53 were correlated with mitotic rate, tumor size, risk assessment, and tumor stage. Out of 100 GIST cases, KIT mutation was found in 68%, of which 62 (91.2%) were found in exon 11, two (2.9%) in exon 9, and four (5.8%) in exon 17. No mutation in exon 13 was identified. Additionally, KIT mutations did not correlate with any clinicopathological features.CONCLUSIONS: The expression of Ki-67 and p53 were associated with high-risk tumors. Mutations in exon 11 were the most commonly found, followed by exon 17 and exon 9. Additionally, KIT mutation status was not correlated with any recognized clinicopathological features.