CD123 Expression Is Associated With High-Risk Disease Characteristics in Childhood Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Report From the Children's Oncology Group.

2021

JCO2101595

2021 Dec 02

1527-7755

<p><strong>PURPOSE: </strong>Increased CD123 surface expression has been associated with high-risk disease characteristics in adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but has not been well-characterized in childhood AML. In this study, we defined CD123 expression and associated clinical characteristics in a uniformly treated cohort of pediatric patients with newly diagnosed AML enrolled on the Children's Oncology Group AAML1031 phase III trial (NCT01371981).</p>

<p><strong>MATERIALS AND METHODS: </strong>AML blasts within diagnostic bone marrow specimens (n = 1,040) were prospectively analyzed for CD123 protein expression by multidimensional flow cytometry immunophenotyping at a central clinical laboratory. Patients were stratified as low-risk or high-risk on the basis of (1) leukemia-associated cytogenetic and molecular alterations and (2) end-of-induction measurable residual disease levels.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>The study population was divided into CD123 expression-based quartiles (n = 260 each) for analysis. Those with highest CD123 expression (quartile 4 [Q4]) had higher prevalence of high-risk rearrangements and -ITD mutations ( &lt; .001 for both) and lower prevalence of low-risk t(8;21), inv(16), and mutations ( &lt; .001 for all). Patients in lower CD123 expression quartiles (Q1-3) had similar relapse risk, event-free survival, and overall survival. Conversely, Q4 patients had a significantly higher relapse risk (53% 39%, &lt; .001), lower event-free survival (49% 69%, &lt; .001), and lower overall survival (32% 50%, &lt; .001) in comparison with Q1-3 patients. CD123 maintained independent significance for outcomes when all known contemporary high-risk cytogenetic and molecular markers were incorporated into multivariable Cox regression analysis.</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSION: </strong>CD123 is strongly associated with disease-relevant cytogenetic and molecular alterations in childhood AML. CD123 is a critical biomarker and promising immunotherapeutic target for children with relapsed or refractory AML, given its prevalent expression and enrichment in patients with high-risk genetic alterations and inferior clinical outcomes with conventional therapy.</p>

10.1200/JCO.21.01595

J Clin Oncol

34855461

Diagnostic Challenges in Pediatric Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis.

2021

2021 Mar 24

1573-2592

<p>Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a syndrome of severe immune dysregulation that encompasses a broad range of underlying genetic diseases and infectious triggers. Monogenic conditions, autoimmune diseases, and infections can all drive the phenotype of HLH and associated immune hyperactivation with hypercytokinemia. A diagnosis of HLH usually requires a combination of clinical and laboratory findings; there is no single sensitive and specific diagnostic test, which often leads to "diagnostic dilemmas" and delays in treatment initiation. Ferritin levels, one of the most commonly used screening tests, were collected across a large tertiary care pediatric hospital to identify the positive predictive value for HLH. Herein, we present several cases that illustrate the clinical challenges of confirming an HLH diagnosis. Additionally, we report on the utility of establishing a formal multi-disciplinary group to aid the prompt diagnosis and treatment of patients presenting with HLH-like pathophysiologies.</p>

10.1007/s10875-021-01025-3

J Clin Immunol

33761058

Development and Clinical Validation of a Large Fusion Gene Panel for Pediatric Cancers.

2019

2019 Jun 27

1943-7811

<p>Gene fusions are one of the most common genomic alterations in pediatric cancer. Many fusions encode oncogenic drivers and play important roles in cancer diagnosis, risk stratification, and treatment selection. We report the development and clinical validation of a large custom-designed RNA sequencing panel, CHOP Fusion panel, using anchored multiplex PCR technology. The panel interrogates 106 cancer genes known to be involved in nearly 600 different fusions reported in hematological malignancies and solid tumors. The panel works well with different types of samples including formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples. The panel demonstrated excellent analytic accuracy with 100% sensitivity and specificity on 60 pediatric tumor validation samples. In addition to identifying all known fusions in the validation samples, three unrecognized yet clinically significant fusions were also detected. Two-hundred and sevety-six clinical cases were analyzed after the validation and 51 different fusions were identified in 104 cases. Of these, 16 fusions were not previously reported at the time of discovery. These fusions provided genomic information useful for clinical management. Our experience demonstrates that CHOP Fusion panel can detect the vast majority of known and certain novel clinically relevant fusion genes in pediatric cancers accurately, efficiently, and cost effectively, and provides an excellent tool for new fusion gene discovery.</p>

10.1016/j.jmoldx.2019.05.006

J Mol Diagn

31255796

Clinical utility of custom-designed NGS panel testing in pediatric tumors.

2019

32

2019 May 28

1756-994X

<p><strong>BACKGROUND: </strong>Somatic genetic testing is rapidly becoming the standard of care in many adult and pediatric cancers. Previously, the standard approach was single-gene or focused multigene testing, but many centers have moved towards broad-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) panels. Here, we report the laboratory validation and clinical utility of a large cohort of clinical NGS somatic sequencing results in diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of a wide range of pediatric cancers.</p>

<p><strong>METHODS: </strong>Subjects were accrued retrospectively at a single pediatric quaternary-care hospital. Sequence analyses were performed on 367 pediatric cancer samples using custom-designed NGS panels over a 15-month period. Cases were profiled for mutations, copy number variations, and fusions identified through sequencing, and their clinical impact on diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy was assessed.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>NGS panel testing was incorporated meaningfully into clinical care in 88.7% of leukemia/lymphomas, 90.6% of central nervous system (CNS) tumors, and 62.6% of non-CNS solid tumors included in this cohort. A change in diagnosis as a result of testing occurred in 3.3% of cases. Additionally, 19.4% of all patients had variants requiring further evaluation for potential germline alteration.</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>Use of somatic NGS panel testing resulted in a significant impact on clinical care, including diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment planning in 78.7% of pediatric patients tested in our institution. Somatic NGS tumor testing should be implemented as part of the routine diagnostic workup of newly diagnosed and relapsed pediatric cancer patients.</p>

10.1186/s13073-019-0644-8

Genome Med

31133068

Improved plasma membrane proteome coverage with a label-free non-affinity-purified workflow.

2017

2017 Jan 23

1615-9861

<p>The proteins of the cellular plasma membrane perform important functions relating to homeostasis and intercellular communication. Due to its overall low cellular abundance, amphipathic character, and low membrane-to-cytoplasm ratio, the plasma membrane proteome has been challenging to isolate and characterize, and is poorly represented in standard liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analyses. In this study, we employ sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation for the enrichment of the plasma membrane proteome, without chemical labeling and affinity purification, together with GeLCMS and use subsequent bioinformatics tools to select plasma membrane proteins, herein referred to as the surfaceome. Using this methodology, we identify over 1900 cell surface-associated proteins in a human acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell line. These surface proteins comprise almost 50% of all detected cellular proteins, a number that substantially exceeds the depth of coverage in previously published studies describing the leukemia surfaceome. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.</p>

10.1002/pmic.201600344

Proteomics

28116781

Molecular therapeutic approaches for pediatric acute myeloid leukemia.

2014

55

2014 Mar

2234-943X

<p>Approximately two-thirds of children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are cured with intensive multi-agent chemotherapy. However, refractory and relapsed AML remains a significant source of childhood cancer mortality, highlighting the need for new therapies. Further therapy intensification with traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy in pediatric AML is not feasible given the risks of both short-term and long-term organ dysfunction. Substantial emphasis has been placed upon the development of molecularly targeted therapeutic approaches for adults and children with high-risk subtypes of AML with the goal of improving remission induction and minimizing relapse. Several promising agents are currently in clinical testing or late preclinical development for AML, including monoclonal antibodies against leukemia cell surface proteins, kinase inhibitors, proteasome inhibitors, epigenetic agents, and chimeric antigen receptor engineered T cell immunotherapies. Many of these therapies have been specifically tested in children with relapsed/refractory AML in Phase 1 and 2 trials with a smaller number of new agents under Phase 3 evaluation for children with de novo AML. Although successful identification and implementation of new drugs for children with AML remain a formidable challenge, enthusiasm for novel molecular therapeutic approaches is great given the potential for significant clinical benefit for children who do not have other curative options.</p>

10.3389/fonc.2014.00055

Front Oncol

24672775

Histology of Testicular Biopsies Obtained for Experimental Fertility Preservation Protocol in Boys with Cancer.

2015

1420-4

2015 Nov

1527-3792

<p><strong>PURPOSE: </strong>Cryopreservation of testicular tissue with subsequent reimplantation after therapy has the potential to preserve fertility for prepubertal boys with cancer. We present the histology and feasibility of testicular tissue procurement for this novel approach.</p>

<p><strong>MATERIALS AND METHODS: </strong>We performed a prospective cohort study of boys at significant risk for treatment associated gonadotoxicity who were eligible for an experimental research protocol between 2008 and 2011. Open testicular biopsy was performed while the patients were anesthetized for another treatment related procedure. Half of the specimen was reserved for cryopreservation, while the other half was used for research purposes. Semithin sections of the biopsy specimens were evaluated for histological features and compared to age adjusted reference values.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>A total of 34 boys underwent biopsy between March 2008 and October 2011. Of the patients 29 had solid tumors and 5 underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for benign disease. A total of 27 patients had adequate tissue for histological analysis. Median patient age was 8.7 years (IQR 2.2 to 11.5). All children had either normal (81.5% of patients) or increased (18.5%) numbers of germ cells per tubule for their age. However, 5 of 26 patients (19%) older than 6&nbsp;months had no evidence of adult dark spermatogonia and 9 of 16 (56%) older than 6 years had no evidence of primary spermatocytes on biopsy, which would be expected based on age norms. These findings are suggestive of abnormal germ cell maturation.</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>The preliminary histological findings of abnormal spermatogenesis maturation in the testes of prepubertal boys with cancer warrants further investigation.</p>

10.1016/j.juro.2015.04.117

J. Urol.

26032139

Induction mortality and resource utilization in children treated for acute myeloid leukemia at free-standing pediatric hospitals in the United States.

2013

1916-23

05/2013

1097-0142

<p><strong>BACKGROUND: </strong>Clinical trials in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) determine induction regimen standards. However, these studies lack the data necessary to evaluate mortality trends over time and differences in resource utilization between induction regimens. Moreover, these trials likely underreport the clinical toxicities experienced by patients.</p>

<p><strong>METHODS: </strong>The Pediatric Health Information System database was used to identify children treated for presumed de novo AML between 1999 and 2010. Induction mortality, risk factors for induction mortality, and resource utilization by induction regimen were estimated using standard frequentist statistics, logistic regression, and Poisson regression, respectively.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>A total of 1686 patients were identified with an overall induction case fatality rate of 5.4% that decreased from 9.8% in 2003 to 2.1% in 2009 (P = .0023). The case fatality rate was 9.0% in the intensively timed DCTER (dexamethasone, cytarabine, thioguanine, etoposide, and rubidomycin [daunomycin]/idarubicin) induction and 3.8% for ADE (cytarabine, daunomycin, and etoposide) induction (adjusted odds ratio = 2.2, 95% confidence interval = 1.1-4.5). Patients treated with intensively timed DCTER regimens had significantly greater antibiotic, red cell/platelet transfusion, analgesic, vasopressor, renal replacement therapy, and radiographic resource utilization than patients treated with ADE regimens. Resource utilization was substantially higher than reported in published pediatric AML clinical trials.</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>Induction mortality for children with AML decreased significantly as ADE use increased. In addition to higher associated mortality, intensively timed DCTER regimens had a correspondingly higher use of health care resources. Using resource utilization data as a proxy for adverse events, adverse event rates reported on clinical trials substantially underestimated the clinical toxicities of all pediatric AML induction regimens.</p>

10.1002/cncr.27957

Cancer

23436301