Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with mutated RUNX1 (RUNX1mut) is considered to have an unfavorable prognosis. However, recent studies have reported comparable survival outcomes with wild-type RUNX1 (RUNX1wt). To assess the clinical outcomes of AML with and without RUNX1mut, we performed a prospective cohort study and systematic review and meta-analysis. The study enrolled 135 patients (27 with RUNX1mut; 108 with RUNX1wt). There were no significant differences in the median OS and RFS of the RUNX1mut and RUNX1wt groups (9.1 vs. 12.2 months; p = 0.268 and 7.8 vs. 14.6 months; p = 0.481, respectively). A subgroup analysis of de novo AML patients with intermediate-risk cytogenetics showed similar outcomes. Our meta-analysis pooled data from 23 studies and our study. The complete remission rate was significantly lower in the RUNX1mut group (pooled odds ratio: 0.42). The OS, RFS, and event-free survival rates also favored the RUNX1wt group (pooled risk ratios: 1.36, 1.37, and 1.37, respectively). A subgroup analysis of de novo AML patients with intermediate-risk cytogenetics demonstrated nearly identical OS and RFS outcomes. This study confirms that patients with AML and RUNX1mut had poor prognoses. Nonetheless, in de novo AML with intermediate-risk cytogenetics, the survival outcomes of both groups were comparable.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a heterogenous group of clonal hematopoietic stem cell neoplasms primarily affecting older persons, associated with dysplastic changes of bone marrow cells, peripheral cytopenias, and various risk of leukemic transformation. Although treatment with several drugs has shown improved disease control, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) remains the only curative treatment for MDS. The number of patients receiving a transplant, as well as survival, have increased past years because of the use of reduce-intensity conditioning regimens (RIC) as well as the use of haploidentical donors for transplantation. With treatment-related mortality as main limitation, pre-transplant evaluation is essential to assess risks for this older group of patients. In a recent randomized study, allo-HSCT with RIC for patients >50 years old with higher-risk MDS demonstrated superiority in survival compared with hypomethylating agents. Genetic mutations have been shown to significantly impact treatment outcomes including after transplant. Recently, a transplant-specific risk score (which includes age, donor type, performance status, cytogenetic category, recipient's cytomegalovirus status, percentage of blasts, and platelet count) has shown superiority in transplantation outcome prediction, compared with previous scoring systems. Survival remains low for most patients with TP53 mutations and novel treatment strategies are needed, such as administration of natural killer cells post-transplant, as there is no clear evidence that maintenance therapy after transplantation can improve outcomes.

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View related articlesView Crossmark data Citing articles: 1 View citing articlesA five-year retrospective study of treatment outcomes using the L-asparaginase-based regimen as a first-line chemotherapy protocol for patients diagnosed with extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal-type, in Thailand

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A physician or group of physicians considers presentation and evolution of a real clinical case, reacting to clinical information and data (boldface type

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Background: Monoclonal antibodies targeting cluster of differentiation (CD) proteins have been incorporated into standard treatments for multiple types of hematologic malignancies, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the efficacy of using CD-targeted antibodies for ALL. Materials and Methods: The EMBASE and MEDLINE databases were searched for research papers using immunotherapy- and ALL-related terms from inception to July 2021. Eligible studies were randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) or cohort studies in which ALL patients received CD-targeted immunotherapy or conventional chemotherapy as the induction or salvage therapy. The reports had to report our primary outcomes of interest: overall survival (OS), relapse-free survival (RFS), or complete remission (CR), with the patient number for each outcome. The effect estimates with 95% confidence interval (CI) from each study were combined to calculate the pooled-effect estimate, using the Hantel-Maenszel method. Results: Five RCTs and 9 retrospective cohort studies were eligible for the meta-analysis. ALL patients given CD-targeted immunotherapy in the induction or salvage therapy had significantly higher OS and RFS rates than those administered conventional chemotherapy only, with pooled odds ratios (OR) of 2.11 (95% CI, 1.76-2.53; I2, 0%) and 2.25 (95% CI, 1.62-3.14; I2, 61%), respectively. The rates of achieving CR and minimal residual disease negativity were also higher for the immunotherapy group, with pooled ORs of 1.70 (95% CI, 1.07-2.69; I2, 79%) and 2.98 (95% CI, 1.17-7.58; I2, 90%), while developing less risk for febrile neutropenia (pooled OR, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.08-0.58; I2, 84%). Subgroup analyses revealed that all antibody types yielded dramatically better OS rates than those for patients administered chemotherapy alone. Conclusions: The ALL patients receiving CD-targeted immunotherapy as induction or salvage therapy had significantly higher response rates and survival outcomes, as well as lower odds of acquiring febrile neutropenia, than the patients given conventional chemotherapy.