Characteristics and outcome in patients with central nervous system involvement treated in European pediatric acute myeloid leukemia study groups

Background: There is no consensus on the treatment for pediatric patients with acute myeloid leukemia and initial central nervous system (CNS) involvement. Methods: To evaluate different CNS-directed treatment options (intrathecal [IT] therapy, CNS irradiation, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation [HSCT]), 261 patients (excluding acute promyelocytic leukemia) with initial CNS involvement treated in trials with similar intensive chemotherapy by four cooperative European study groups (1998–2013) were studied and compared with CNS-negative patients from the Berlin–Frankfurt–Münster group. Results: Patient characteristics in the different study groups were comparable. Young age, high white blood cell count, extramedullary involvement other than the CNS, monoblastic morphology, and inv(16) were associated with CNS involvement (each P < 0.0001). There were no major differences in outcome between the study groups. The cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) regarding the CNS was higher in initially CNS-positive versus initially CNS-negative patients (all: 8 ± 2% vs. 3 ± 1%, P(Gray) = 0.001; isolated: 4 ± 1% vs. 1 ± 0%, P(Gray) = 0.03). However, global outcome of the CNS-positive cohort (overall survival, 64 ± 3%; event-free survival 48 ± 3%; and CIR 33% ± 3%) did not differ significantly from CNS-negative patients. Risk groups defined by cytogenetics were of likewise prognostic significance in CNS-positive and -negative patients. CNS treatment with cranial irradiation was not superior compared to IT therapy and systemic chemotherapy (± HSCT). Conclusion: Although CNS relapses occurred more frequently in initially CNS-positive patients, their global outcome was similar as in CNS-negative patients. Intensified IT therapy was heterogeneous; however, at least eight applications, preferably with triple IT chemotherapy, seem to be appropriate to accompany dose-intensive systemic chemotherapy

Targeting cytokine- and therapy-induced PIM1 activation in preclinical models of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphoma

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphoma (T-ALL/T-LBL) are aggressive hematological malignancies that are currently treated with high dose chemotherapy. Over the last years, the search towards novel and less toxic therapeutic strategies for T-ALL/T-LBL patients has largely focused on the identification of cell intrinsic properties of the tumor cell. However, non cell autonomous activation of specific oncogenic pathways might also offer opportunities that could be exploited at the therapeutic level. In line with this, we here show that endogenous IL7 can increase the expression of the oncogenic kinase PIM1 in CD127+ T-ALL/T-LBL, thereby rendering these tumor cells sensitive to in vivo PIM inhibition. In addition, using different CD127+ T-ALL/T-LBL xenograft models, we also reveal that residual tumor cells, which remain present after short-term in vivo chemotherapy, display consistent upregulation of PIM1 as compared to bulk non-treated tumor cells. Notably, this effect was transient as increased PIM1 levels were not observed in reestablished disease after abrogation of the initial chemotherapy. Furthermore, we uncover that this phenomenon is, at least in part, mediated by the ability of glucocorticoids to cause transcriptional upregulation of IL7RA in T-ALL/T-LBL PDX cells, ultimately resulting in non-cell autonomous PIM1 upregulation by endogenous IL7. Finally, we confirm in vivo that chemotherapy in combination with a pan-PIM inhibitor can improve leukemia survival in a PDX model of CD127+ T-ALL. Altogether, our work reveals that IL7 and glucocorticoids coordinately drive aberrant activation of PIM1 and suggests that IL7 responsive CD127+ T-ALL and T-LBL patients could benefit from PIM inhibition during induction chemotherapy

Prognostic impact of t(16;21)(p11;q22) and t(16;21)(q24;q22) in pediatric AML: a retrospective study by the I-BFM Study Group

To study the prognostic relevance of rare genetic aberrations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), such as t(16;21), international collaboration is required. Two different types of t(16;21) translocations can be distinguished: t(16;21)(p11;q22), resulting in the FUS-ERG fusion gene; and t(16;21)(q24;q22), resulting in RUNX1-core binding factor (CBFA2T3). We collected data on clinical and biological characteristics of 54 pediatric AML cases with t(16;21) rearrangements from 14 international collaborative study groups participating in the international Berlin-Frankfurt-Münster (I-BFM) AML study group. The AML-BFM cohort diagnosed between 1997 and 2013 was used as a reference cohort. RUNX1-CBFA2T3 (n 5 23) had significantly lower median white blood cell count (12.5 3 109/L, P 5 .03) compared with the reference cohort. FUS-ERG rearranged AML (n 5 31) had no predominant French-American-British (FAB) type, whereas 76% of RUNX1-CBFA2T3 had an M1/M2 FAB type (M1, M2), significantly different from the reference cohort (P 5 .004). Four-year event-free survival (EFS) of patients with FUS-ERG was 7% (standard error [SE] 5 5%), significantly lower compared with the reference cohort (51%, SE 5 1%, P < .001). Four-year EFS of RUNX1-CBFA2T3 was 77% (SE 5 8%, P 5 .06), significantly higher compared with the reference cohort. Cumulative incidence of relapse was 74% (SE 5 8%) in FUS-ERG, 0% (SE 5 0%) in RUNX1-CBFA2T3, compared with 32% (SE 5 1%) in the reference cohort (P < .001). Multivariate analysis identified both FUS-ERG and RUNX1-CBFA2T3 as independent risk factors with hazard ratios of 1.9 (P < .0001) and 0.3 (P 5 .025), respectively. These results describe 2 clinically relevant distinct subtypes of pediatric AML. Similarly to other core-binding factor AMLs, patients with RUNX1-CBFA2T3 rearranged AML may benefit from stratification in the standard risk treatment, whereas patients with FUS-ERG rearranged AML should be considered high-risk

Prevalence, clinical characteristics, and prognosis of GATA2-related myelodysplastic syndromes in children and adolescents

GermlineGATA2 mutations cause cellular deficiencieswith high propensity for myeloid disease. We investigated 426 children and adolescents with primary myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and 82 cases with secondary MDS enrolled in 2 consecutive prospective studies of the European Working Group of MDS in Childhood (EWOGMDS) conducted in Germany over a period of 15 years. Germline GATA2 mutations accounted for 15% of advanced and 7% of all primary MDS cases, but were absent in children with MDS secondary to therapy or acquired aplastic anemia. Mutation carriers were older at diagnosis and more likely to present with monosomy 7 and advanced disease compared with wild-type cases. For stratified analysis according to karyotype, 108 additional primary MDS patients registered with EWOG-MDS were studied. Overall, we identified 57 MDS patients with germline GATA2mutations. GATA2 mutations were highly prevalent among patients with monosomy 7 (37%, all ages) reaching its peak in adolescence (72%of adolescents withmonosomy 7).Unexpectedly, monocytosis was more frequent in GATA2-mutated patients. However, when adjusted for the selection bias from monosomy 7, mutational status had no effect on the hematologic phenotype. Finally, overall survival and outcome of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) were not influenced by mutational status. This study identifies GATA2 mutations as the most common germline defect predisposing to pediatric MDS with a very high prevalence in adolescents with monosomy 7. GATA2 mutations do not confer poor prognosis in childhood MDS. However, the high risk for progression to advanced diseasemust guide decision-making toward timely HSCT

Synonymous GATA2 mutations result in selective loss of mutated RNA and are common in patients with GATA2 deficiency

Deficiency of the transcription factor GATA2 is a highly penetrant genetic disorder predisposing to myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and immunodeficiency. It has been recognized as the most common cause underlying primary MDS in children. Triggered by the discovery of a recurrent synonymous GATA2 variant, we systematically investigated 911 patients with phenotype of pediatric MDS or cellular deficiencies for the presence of synonymous alterations in GATA2. In total, we identified nine individuals with five heterozygous synonymous mutations: c.351C>G, p.T117T (N = 4); c.649C>T, p.L217L; c.981G>A, p.G327G; c.1023C>T, p.A341A; and c.1416G>A, p.P472P (N = 2). They accounted for 8.2% (9/110) of cases with GATA2 deficiency in our cohort and resulted in selective loss of mutant RNA. While for the hotspot mutation (c.351C>G) a splicing error leading to RNA and protein reduction was identified, severe, likely late stage RNA loss without splicing disruption was found for other mutations. Finally, the synonymous mutations did not alter protein function or stability. In summary, synonymous GATA2 substitutions are a new common cause of GATA2 deficiency. These findings have broad implications for genetic counseling and pathogenic variant discovery in Mendelian disorders

RAS-pathway mutation patterns define epigenetic subclasses in juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia

Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) is an aggressive myeloproliferative disorder of early childhood characterized by mutations activating RAS signaling. Established clinical and genetic markers fail to fully recapitulate the clinical and biological heterogeneity of this disease. Here we report DNA methylome analysis and mutation profiling of 167 JMML samples. We identify three JMML subgroups with unique molecular and clinical characteristics. The high methylation group (HM) is characterized by somatic PTPN11 mutations and poor clinical outcome. The low methylation group is enriched for somatic NRAS and CBL mutations, as well as for Noonan patients, and has a good prognosis. The intermediate methylation group (IM) shows enrichment for monosomy 7 and somatic KRAS mutations. Hypermethylation is associated with repressed chromatin, genes regulated by RAS signaling, frequent co-occurrence of RAS pathway mutations and upregulation of DNMT1 and DNMT3B, suggesting a link between activation of the DNA methylation machinery and mutational patterns in JMML

Synonymous GATA2 mutations result in selective loss of mutated RNA and are common in patients with GATA2 deficiency

Deficiency of the transcription factor GATA2 is a highly penetrant genetic disorder predisposing to myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and immunodeficiency. It has been recognized as the most common cause underlying primary MDS in children. Triggered by the discovery of a recurrent synonymousGATA2variant, we systematically investigated 911 patients with phenotype of pediatric MDS or cellular deficiencies for the presence of synonymous alterations inGATA2. In total, we identified nine individuals with five heterozygous synonymous mutations: c.351C>G, p.T117T (N = 4); c.649C>T, p.L217L; c.981G>A, p.G327G; c.1023C>T, p.A341A; and c.1416G>A, p.P472P (N = 2). They accounted for 8.2% (9/110) of cases with GATA2 deficiency in our cohort and resulted in selective loss of mutant RNA. While for the hotspot mutation (c.351C>G) a splicing error leading to RNA and protein reduction was identified, severe, likely late stage RNA loss without splicing disruption was found for other mutations. Finally, the synonymous mutations did not alter protein function or stability. In summary, synonymousGATA2substitutions are a new common cause of GATA2 deficiency. These findings have broad implications for genetic counseling and pathogenic variant discovery in Mendelian disorders

Characteristic Evolution and Matching

I review the development of numerical evolution codes for general relativity based upon the characteristic initial value problem. Progress in characteristic evolution is traced from the early stage of 1D feasibility studies to 2D axisymmetric codes that accurately simulate the oscillations and gravitational collapse of relativistic stars and to current 3D codes that provide pieces of a binary black hole spacetime. Cauchy codes have now been successful at simulating all aspects of the binary black hole problem inside an artificially constructed outer boundary. A prime application of characteristic evolution is to extend such simulations to null infinity where the waveform from the binary inspiral and merger can be unambiguously computed. This has now been accomplished by Cauchy-characteristic extraction, where data for the characteristic evolution is supplied by Cauchy data on an extraction worldtube inside the artificial outer boundary. The ultimate application of characteristic evolution is to eliminate the role of this outer boundary by constructing a global solution via Cauchy-characteristic matching. Progress in this direction is discussed.Comment: New version to appear in Living Reviews 2012. arXiv admin note: updated version of arXiv:gr-qc/050809