Rotunno, Giada

Background: The JAK2 46/1, also referred to as the GGCC, haplotype, is represented by 4 main SNPs spanning a region of 250kb in chr9 including the JAK2 gene, that are in complete linkage disequilibrium. The GGCC haplo was found to confer susceptibility to JAK2 mutated myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) (Jones AV, 2009; Olcaydu D, 2009; Kilpivaara O, 2009) while association with JAK2-wildtype MPN remains controversial (Pardanani A, 2010; Jones AV, 2010; Guglielmelli P, 2010; Trifa A, 2016). The GGCC haplo was also found enriched in MPN pts with splancnic vein thrombosis (SVT) (Smalberg JH, 2011), and to correlate with higher JAK2V617F variant allele frequency (VAF) (Alvarez-Larran, A, 2012). Nullizigosity for GGCC haplo was associated with reduced survival (OS) in pts with myelofibrosis (MF) (Tefferi A, 2019), but no information on the impact of GGCC haplo status with phenotype and outcome in PV is available. Aim: To assess the clinical correlates and the prognostic significance of GGCC haplo status in a large cohort of pts with PV. Pts and Methods: A total of 399 PV pts, all JAK2V617F mutated, diagnosis revised according to 2022 ICC criteria, were genotyped for 46/1 haplotype by PCR allele discrimination with rs12343867 (with the “C” allele standing for 46/1 haplotype). Results: A total of 301 pts (75.4%) had the C allele, of which 143 (47.5%) were CC homo and 158 (52.5%) CT hetero; 98 (24.6%) were nullizygous for GGCC (TT). Since preliminary analysis disclosed no significant difference between CT and TT haplotype for all variables considered, homozygous CC pts were compared to TT+CT. The CC haplotype was associated with higher leukocytes (median 11.3x10e9/L vs 9.6, p<.001), higher hemoglobin (18.4 g/dL vs 17.5, p<.001), lower platelets (441x10e9/L vs 514, p=.002) more aquagenic pruritus (51.8% vs 33.2%, p=.001), and higher JAK2VAF (60.8+-24.8% vs 36.8+-19.7%, p<.001) at diagnosis. Pts with a VAF >50% were 69% in CC versus 24.1% in TT+CT pts (p<.001). ASXL1 mutations were enriched among CC pts (20.3% vs 9.4%, p=0.04), otherwise no difference regarding additional myeloid mutations was noted. All above differences remained significant when considering CC versus TT and CT separately. More pts with CC haplotype suffered from venous thrombosis (VT) during the FU (16.1% vs 4.3%, p<.001), no difference was noted for arterial thrombosis nor for splancnic vein thrombosis. VT-FS by Kaplan Meyer was significantly shorter (p<.001) in CC pts; the rate of VT at 5, 10, 15y after diagnosis, was 5.5%, 12%, 20.2% for CC versus 2.6%, 3.4%, 6.4% for TT+CT, respectively (all p<.001). In multivariable analysis, including JAK2VAF >50%, age >60y, history of VT, WBC >15x10e9/L, only CC haplo remained significant (HR 3.6, 95%CI 1.4-9.5, p=.009). Progression to post-PV MF occurred in 81 pts (20.3%), significantly more among CC (n=45, 31.5%) than TT+CT (n=36; 14.1%; p<.001). Myelofibrosis-FS was significantly shorter in CC vs other genotypes (p=.02). However, in multivariable analysis, only BM fibrosis G1 remained significant (HR 3.2, 1.7-5.9; p<.001). Evolution to blast-phase occurred in 13 pts (3.2%), 9 (6.3%) with CC haplo vs 4 TT+CT (1.6%; p=.01). During the follow-up, 102 pts (25.5%) died, 50 (35%) CC and 52 TT+CT (20.3%; p=.001). In multivariable analysis, including MIPSS-PV variables (Tefferi A 2020), the CC haplo remained significant (HR 1.8, 1.04-3.2, p=.03) together with age (HR 3.0, 1.6-5.7; p<.001), WBC (HR 2.6, 1.3-4.8; p=.004), and thrombosis history (HR 1.9, 1.0-3.7; p=.03). Conclusions. Homozygosity for the 46/1 or CC haplotype contributes to the phenotype diversity of PV, in part possibly mediated by associated higher JAK2V67F VAF, and predicts for incident VT and shorter OS. Supported by AIRC, 21267; MIUR,2022F4WMR3; IHM, PNRR-MAD-2022-12376695

Abstract Among 281 patients with essential thrombocythemia and calreticulin (CALR) mutation, we found a variant allele frequency of ≥60% to be associated with significantly shortened myelofibrosis-free survival, mostly apparent with CALR type-1 and CALR type-indeterminate mutations.

Background: In addition to the driver mutations JAK2, CALR and MPL, patients (pts) with primary myelofibrosis (PMF) may also express mutations in a number of genes frequently associated with myeloid neoplasms. These genes encode regulators of chromatin modification and DNA methylation, RNA splicing and transcription, as well as oncogenes and signal transduction. In pts with PMF, including those with prefibrotic (pre-)-PMF, selected mutations were shown to deserve prognostic relevance, and led to the development of molecular integrated, or exclusive, scores (such as MIPSS70, MIPSS70-plus, GIPSS and others). Aim: The aim of the study was to correlate the type of mutations, clustered in relation to their known functional classes, with hematological and clinical correlates, and outcome in a large population of molecularly annotated pts with PMF. Patients and Methods: All pts with a confirmed ICC 2022 diagnosis of PMF from the database at CRIMM (Florence), for whom mutation analysis of a panel of 40 myeloid neoplasm-associated genes performed by NGS (Oncomine, ThermoFisher) was available, were included in the study. Pts were stratified in 6 categories based on known function of mutated gene: spliceosome (cat. 1: SF3B1, U2AF1, SRSF2, ZRSR2), DNA methylation gene (cat. 2: TET2, DNMT3A, IDH1, IDH2, SETBP1), histone modification gene (cat. 3: ASXL1, EZH2), RAS pathway (cat. 4: NRAS, KRAS, CBL, NF1, PTPN11), transcription factor (cat. 5: RUNX1, NFE2, TP53) and “other” gene mutations (cat. 6: LNK/SH2B3). Results: A total of 286 pts with at least 1 myeloid neoplasm-associated gene mutation were included (110 prePMF, 38.5%; 176 overt PMF, 61.5%). Of these, 69 have mutations in spliceosome genes, 81 in DNA methylation genes, 95 in histone modification genes, 19 in the RAS pathway, 13 in transcription factor genes and 9 in “other” gene category. Analysis of clinical characteristics (Table) showed that Cat. 1 pts were significantly older (80.6% aged >60y, P=0.003), no difference regarding gender. There was no difference in blood counts but circulating blasts >1%, that were higher in cat 3 and 1 compared to the others (P=0.009). A G3 fibrosis was more common in cat 3 and 5 (43.5% and 50%, p<0.001). No significant difference was noticed as regarded driver mutations and karyotype abnormalities. Splenomegaly was more common in cat 3 and cat 6 (86.5% and 88.9%, respectively, p=0.015), while constitutional symptoms were enriched in cat 5 (69.2%, p=0.015). The proportion of pts with transfusion dependency was lower among those with mutations in DNA methylation genes (cat. 2) and “other” mutations (cat. 6) (21% and 22.2%, respectively, p=0.014). There was no significant difference among gene categories as regarded IPSS score, MIPSS70 score, thrombosis and bleeding events, progression to overt MF (in case of pre-PMF), transformation to AML and rate of secondary neoplasms. The median overall survival (OS) for all pts was 7.1 years (IC: 5.7-8.5), with categories 2, 4 and 5 showing the longest survival (10.7y (6.3-15.1), 11.5y (4.4-18.7), and 10.5y (2-18.9) respectively). In particular, pts in cat 2 showed significantly longer OS than pts in cat 1 (5.4y; HR 1.7, 95% CI, 1.1-2.6; p=0.021) and cat 3 (10.7 vs 6.1y; HR 1.5, 95% CI, 1-2.3). Considering that cat 1, 3, and 6 on one side, and cat 2, 4, 5 on the other, did not differ significant each to the other, we combined those categories to assess respective impact on survival. We found a statistically significant difference between the 2 groups, with pts harboring mutations in spliceosome, histone modifiers and “other” genes having significantly shortened survival (5.8y, CI 4.1-7.5; HR 1.57, CI 1.13-2.18) compared to the other categories (median survival, 10.8y, CI 7.2-14.3) (P=.007). Conclusion: Current analysis revealed distinctive clinical characteristics and survival outcomes associated with specific categories of mutated myeloid genes in pts with PMF, largely overlapping with the ICC defined “myelodysplasia-related gene mutations” category.

Background. A mutation in calreticulin ( CALRm) is found in 30-35% of patients (pts) with Essential Thrombocythemia (ET). There are 2 main CALRm mutation types, Type 1/Type 1 like (T1) a 52bp deletion, and Type 2/Type 2 like (T2) a 5bp insertion. Other atypical mutations (T3) occur in a minority of pts. Recent study ( Guglielmelli P et al, BCJ 2023) in pts with myelofibrosis (MF) showed that higher CALR variant allele frequency (VAF) was associated with anemia at diagnosis and during FU, and to features of more advanced disease (CD34 + cell counts, ASXL1 mutation (mut), >2 mutated myeloid genes, and shorter leukocytosis-free survival. Aim. To evaluate whether the CALRm VAF in pts with ET was associated with predefined major clinical outcomes: evolution to MF, transformation to acute leukemia (AML), thrombosis, major bleeding, and survival (OS). Patients and Methods. Diagnosis of ET was strictly according to 2023 WHO and ICC to avoid mis-inclusion of prefibrotic MF. CALRm VAF was determined by capillary gel electrophoresis as the ratio (%) of areas under the curve of CALRm/ CALRm+ CALRwt. A panel of 45 myeloid neoplasm-associated genes was sequenced by NGS. Results. A total of 281 CALRm ET pts were identified from CRIMM (Florence, I), Quebec MPN Research Group centers' (Canada) and Mayo Clinic (Rochester, US) databases; 152 (54%), 101 (36%) and 28 (10%) were T1, T2 and T3 CALRm, respectively. Overall FU was 8.6y (0.3-39.4), median survival was not reached. Rate of death at 10y, 20y and 30y was 8%, 15% and 25%. MF transformation occurred in 50 pts (18%), AML in 2 (0.7%), 25 pts (8.9%) died. A major thrombotic event before or at ET diagnosis occurred in 17 (6.0 %) pts (14 arterial and 3 venous), whereas 28 pts (10.0%) had >1 major thrombosis during follow-up (53.6% arterial, 46.4% venous). Major bleeding occurred in 19 pts (6.8%; 16 at or before diagnosis). Ascertainment of correlation of CALRm VAF with predefined outcomes by continuous variable analysis (ROC curve) highlighted a significant correlation of VAF >60% with MF-free survival (MFS), with HR of 2.85 (95%CI, 1.4-5.6; P= .002. Fig. 1A). On the contrary, there was no impact of CALRm VAF as continuous variable on AML, thrombosis, bleeding and OS. We therefore used a threshold of >60% to compare main clinical and hematologic characteristics at diagnosis and outcomes during FU in pts categorized as CALR-high and CALR-low. Of all pts, 21 (7.5%) harbored a VAF >60%; of these, 52%, 19% and 29% were T1, T2, T3, respectively, compared to 54%, 37%, 8% of CALR-low (P= .008). We found no difference in age, gender, constitutional symptoms, splenomegaly, arterial and venous thrombosis at diagnosis and FU, IPSET revised risk stratification, and bleeding events. Hemoglobin was lower (12.8 g/dL (8.4-14.0) versus 13.6 (10.1-16.0); P=.02), while leukocytes and platelets did not differ. The proportion of pts with additional mutations in myeloid genes was significantly greater in CALR-high pts compared to CALR-low (66.7% vs 30.2%; P=0.01), as it was the proportion of pts with >2 mut myeloid genes (25% vs 11.6%, P=0.04). During FU, 52% of CALR-high pts (n=11) transformed to MF compared to 15% (n=39) of CALR-low (P<.0001); AML and death not differ. Anemia (<10g/dL) during the FU developed in 69% of CALR-high pts vs 18%, leukocytosis (>15x10 9/L) in 46% vs 8% and splenomegaly (greater than 5 cm from LCM) in 50% vs 12% (P<.0001 for all). The HR for anemia-free survival was 2.87 (95%CI, 1.3-6.3), for leukocytosis HR 3.71 (95%CI, 1.3-10.5) and splenomegaly HR 3.40 (95%CI, 1.2-9.2), all P<.01. MFS was significantly shorter in T1 (HR 2.0; P=0.04) or T3 (HR 2.7; P=0.03) using T2 as reference. Finally, we compared C ALR-mut, JAK2V617F mut and triple-negative (TN) ET pts. ROC analysis indicated a JAK2VAF >35% ( JAK2-high) as the best cutoff for shorter MFS. As in Fig. 1B, the MFS survival of CALR-high and JAK2-high was superimposable, and significantly shorter that in CALR/JAK2-low and TN pts. Conclusions. A CALR VAF >60% in pts with ET is associated with greater risk and shorter time to MF progression, development of anemia and splenomegaly. Similar findings in JAK2-high pts reinforce that that accumulation of mutated CALR and JAK2 alleles, evident since diagnosis, is detrimental for evolution to post-ET myelofibrosis. Longitudinal studies after diagnosis might provide further information about the kinetics of allele accumulation.

Abstract Introduction: Myelofibrosis -either primary (PMF) or post-polycythemia vera/essential thrombocythemia (collectively, secondary MF [SMF])- is characterized by biologic and clinical heterogeneity, with some patients (pts) presenting with features of myeloproliferation (MyP) and others exhibiting a myelodepletive (MyD) phenotype. Although not well defined, the latter is marked by cytopenias involving one or more hematopoietic lineages, in some respects mimicking a myelodysplastic or bone marrow (BM) failure syndrome. MyD features have been associated with poor prognosis in patients with MF, but cytopenias have been usually considered individually. In the current study, we aimed at investigating the phenotypic and prognostic correlates of a MyD phenotype in a large cohort of MF patients. Methods: After IRB approval, 704 consecutive patients with WHO-defined MF referring to CRIMM (Florence), were included in the study. There were 442 (63%) PMF and 262 (37%) SMF. Cytopenias at diagnosis were defined as follows: white blood cell (WBC) <4×10 9/L, hemoglobin (Hb) <11 g/dL for male and <10 g/dL for female, platelets (Plt) <100×10 9/L. A MyD phenotype was defined by the presence of at least one cytopenia in the absence of any increase of other blood cells (WBC >15×10 9/L, Hb >16.5 g/dL for male and >16 g/dL for female, Plt >450×10 9/L). Pts not included in the MyD group were considered as having a MyP phenotype. Mutational analysis by targeted NGS was available for 594/704 patients (PMF 368/442; SMF 226/262). Results: Overall, 166 pts were diagnosed as having a MyD MF, including 108 (24%) PMF and 58 (22%) SMF. Among PMF patients, leukopenia, sex-adjusted anemia and thrombocytopenia were present in 38%, 84% and 35%, respectively; in SMF, corresponding figures were 24%, 91% and 24%. Two or more cytopenias were found in 11% and 6% of PMF and SMF patients, respectively. In PMF, a MyD phenotype was associated with male gender (P=.0468), older age (P=.0002), lower peripheral blast count (P=.0006), higher prevalence of splenomegaly (P=0.0142), constitutional symptoms (P<.0001), and BM fibrosis grade ≥2 (P<.0001). The rates of thrombosis and bleeding were not different compared to MyP PMF. MyD pts were more likely to have very high risk (VHR) karyotype abnormalities (P=.0002) and to be triple negative (TN; P<.0001); there were no correlations with JAK2 mutation status and mutant burden, CALR and MPL mutations. Among non-driver mutations, a MyD phenotype was significantly enriched in ASXL1 (P=.0074), IDH1/2 (P=0.064), N/KRAS (P=.0014), U2AF1 (P<.0001), and CUX1 (P=.0002) mutations. Karyotype abnormalities (P=.0084), VHR cytogenetics (P=.0343), CBL (P=.0.171) and U2AF1 (P=.0148) mutations were significantly enriched in MyD pts with ≥2 cytopenias. On univariate analysis, OS was significantly shorter in pts with MyD vs MyP PMF (median, 55 vs 103 months, respectively; P<.0001), and not different between MyD pts with one (median, 65 months) and ≥2 (median, 44 months) cytopenias (Fig. 1A). After competing risk analysis, the cumulative incidence of leukemic transformation (LT) was not different between MyD and MyP phenotypes (16% vs 11% at 5 years, respectively). Phenotypic differences between MyD and MyP patients were less evident in SMF, a part for older age of the former (P=.0207). The molecular background was likewise different: a MyD feature was enriched in mutations in TP53 (P=.0024), U2AF1 (P<.0001), and SETBP1 (P=.0125). TP53 mutations were remarkably more frequent in MyD SMF pts with ≥2 cytopenias (19%). Pts with MyD SMF had a significantly shorter OS compared to the MyP counterpart (median, 44 vs 105 months; P<.0001). Median OS was significantly inferior in MyD patients with ≥2 cytopenias compared to one cytopenia (median, 27 vs 58 months, respectively; P<.0001) (Fig. 1B). The cumulative incidence of LT was not different: 16% vs 7% at 5 years, respectively, for SMF pts with MyD and MyP phenotype. Conclusion: The current study provides a comprehensive analysis of the MyD phenotype in pts with PMF and SMF, partly recapitulating findings of previous studies (Marcellino BK et al. Clin Lymphoma Myeloma Leuk 2020). We showed that the MyD phenotype is associated with high-risk clinical and molecular features, particularly in PMF, and correlates with inferior OS. Of interest, U2AF1 mutations emerged as a distinct molecular marker of MyD in both PMF and SMF, while mutations in TP53 appear prevalent in MyD SMF. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Vannucchi: Incyte: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Abstract The dysregulation of the JAK/STAT pathway drives the pathogenesis of myelofibrosis (MF). Recently, several JAK inhibitors (JAKis) have been developed for treating MF. Select mutations (MTs) have been associated with impaired outcomes and are currently incorporated in molecularly annotated prognostic models. Mutations of RAS/MAPK pathway genes are frequently reported in cancer and at low frequencies in MF. In this study, we investigated the phenotypic, prognostic, and therapeutic implications of NRASMTs, KRASMTs, and CBLMTs (RAS/CBLMTs) in 464 consecutive MF patients. A total of 59 (12.7%) patients had RAS/CBLMTs: NRASMTs, n = 25 (5.4%); KRASMTs, n = 13 (2.8%); and CBLMTs, n = 26 (5.6%). Patients with RAS/CBLMTs were more likely to present with high-risk clinical and molecular features. RAS/CBLMTs were associated with inferior overall survival compared with patients without MTs and retained significance in a multivariate model, including the Mutation-Enhanced International Prognostic Score System (MIPSS70) risk factors and cytogenetics; however, inclusion of RAS/CBLMTs in molecularly annotated prognostic models did not improve the predictive power of the latter. The 5-year cumulative incidence of leukemic transformation was notably higher in the RAS/CBLMT cohort. Among 61 patients treated with JAKis and observed for a median time of 30 months, the rate of symptoms and spleen response at 6 months was significantly lower in the RAS/CBLMT cohort. Logistic regression analysis disclosed a significant inverse correlation between RAS/CBLMTs and the probability of achieving a symptom or spleen response that was retained in multivariate analysis. In summary, our study showed that RAS/CBLMTs are associated with adverse phenotypic features and survival outcomes and, more important, may predict reduced response to JAKis.

Summary Survival prediction in essential thrombocythaemia (ET) and polycythaemia vera (PV) is currently based on clinically‐derived variables; we examined the possibility of integrating genetic information for predicting survival. To this end, 906 molecularly‐annotated patients (416 Mayo Clinic; 490 University of Florence, Italy), including 502 ET and 404 PV, were recruited. Multivariable analysis identified spliceosome mutations to adversely affect overall ( SF3B1 , SRSF2 in ET and SRSF2 in PV) and myelofibrosis‐free ( U2AF1 , SF3B1 in ET) survival; TP53 mutations predicted leukaemic transformation in ET; “adverse” mutations occurred in 51 (10%) ET and 8 (2%) PV patients. We confirmed the independent survival effect of adverse mutations [hazard ratio (HR) 2·4, 95% CI 1·6–3·5], age >60 years (6·6, 4·6–9·7), male sex (1·8, 1·3–2·4) and leukocytosis ≥11 × 10 9 /l (1·6, 1·1–2·2), in ET, and adverse mutations (7·8, 3·1–17·0), age >67 years (5·4, 3·6–8·1), leukocytosis ≥15 × 10 9 /l (2·8, 1·8–4·2) and thrombosis history (2·0, 1·4–2·9), in PV. HR‐based risk point allocation allowed development of three‐tiered mutation‐enhanced international prognostic systems (MIPSS) which were validated in both cohorts and performance was shown to be superior to conventional scoring systems. Spliceosome mutations enhance survival prediction in ET and PV and identify patients at risk for fibrotic progression. TP53 mutations predict leukaemic transformation in ET.

Abstract Background : Survival prediction in essential thrombocythemia (ET) and polycythemia vera (PV) is currently based on clinically-derived risk variables, including age, thrombosis history and leukocyte count (Blood. 2012;120:1197; Leukemia. 2013;27:1874). We have previously reported on the prognostic contribution of mutations, in both ET and PV (Blood Adv. 2016;1:21). The current study examines the possibility of integrating genetic and clinical information for predicting overall (OS), leukemia-free (LFS) and myelofibrosis-free (MFFS) survival in ET and PV. Methods : Study patients were recruited from the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA and the University of Florence, Florence, Italy, based on availability of next-generation sequencing (NGS)-derived mutation information. Diagnoses were according to the 2016 World Health Organization criteria (Blood. 2016;127:2391). NGS-detected coding region variants were filtered through the Exome Aggregation Consortium (ExAC) database and annotated by the Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer (COSMIC) database as mutants or variants of uncertain significance (VUS). Conventional statistics was employed for outcome analysis and assessment of model performance. Results: 906 molecularly-annotated patients (416 from Mayo and 490 from Florence), including 502 ET and 404 PV cases, were included in the current study. The Mayo/Florence cohorts included 270/232 ET (median age 57/54 years, 60%/59% females) and 146/258 PV (median age 63/58 years, 52%/44% females) patients; median follow-up was 9.9/12.9 years for ET and 10.7/12.4 years for PV; during this time 39%/38% deaths and 4.4%/6.5% leukemic and 16%/33% fibrotic progressions were documented for ET, with the corresponding figures for PV being 50%/26%, 4.8%/3% and 13%/36%. Cytogenetic information was available in 84%/63% ET and 80%/49% PV cases in the Mayo/Florence cohorts. In both Mayo and Florence cohorts, multivariable analysis of mutations identified primarily spliceosome mutations to adversely affect OS (SF3B1 and SRSF2 in ET and SRSF2 in PV) and MFFS (U2AF1 and SF3B1 in ET); in addition, TP53 mutations was associated with leukemic transformation in ET, in both patient cohorts. Other mutations with independently significant contribution, validated in one but not both cohorts, included EZH2 (OS and LFS in ET), IDH2 (OS and LFS in PV) and RUNX1 (LFS in PV and ET). For the purposes of the current study, mutations considered "adverse" for subsequent analysis and development of prognostic models required validation in both Mayo and Florence cohorts. Age-adjusted, all-inclusive multivariable analysis of genetic and clinical variables identified the following as independent risk factors for OS, in both Mayo and Florence cohorts: ET ─ SRSF2/SF3B1 mutations, age >60 years and male sex; PV ─ SRSF2 mutations, age >67 years and leukocyte count ≥11 x 109/l. In addition, multivariable analysis flagged leukocytosis in ET (Florence cohort only) and abnormal karyotype in PV (Mayo cohort only) as additional factors. Development of mutation-enhanced international prognostic systems for ET and PV In order to optimize the number of informative cases, the two Mayo and Florence databases were subsequently combined and subjected to multivariable analysis that confirmed the independent survival effect, in ET, of SRSF2/SF3B1 mutations (HR 2.8, 95% CI 1.8-4.3), age >60 years (HR 6.7, 95% CI 4.8-9.4) and male sex (HR 1.8, 95% CI 1.4-2.4) and, in PV, of SRSF2 mutations (HR 7.0, 95% CI 2.3-17.4), age >60 years (HR 5.7, 95% CI 3.3-10.1), and leukocyte count ≥11 x 109/l (HR 2.4, 95% CI 1.5-3.9); the combined analysis also flagged independent prognostic contribution from abnormal karyotype in PV (HR 2.1, 95% CI 1.1-3.6). HR-weighted risk point allocation resulted in new, mutation-enhanced 4-tiered risk models for ET (MIPSS-ET based on mutations, age and sex; figure 1a) and PV (MIPSS-PV based on mutations, karyotype, leukocyte count and age; figure 1b). Both models displayed high predictive accuracy and were internally validated by bootstrapping. The combined analysis also confirmed the impact of TP53 mutations on LFS (figure 1c) and U2AF1/SF3B1 mutations on MFFS (figure 1d), in ET. Conclusions: Spliceosome mutation information enhances survival prediction in ET and PV and identifies those at risk for fibrotic progression. TP53 mutations predict leukemic transformation in ET. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract Background : Thrombosis is a characteristic feature in essential thrombocythemia (ET) and polycythemia vera (PV). Previous studies had focused on thrombotic events occurring after diagnosis and did not always distinguish between arterial and venous thrombosis. Arterial thrombosis in ET has been associated with age >60 years, JAK2 mutations, leukocyte count >11 x 109/l, history of thrombosis and cardiovascular risk factors, and venous thrombosis with male sex (Blood 2011;117:5857). In the current two-enter study, we looked for associations between both driver and other mutations, with first incidences of arterial and venous thrombosis in ET and PV, analyzed together and separately. Methods : Study patients were recruited from the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA and the University of Florence, Florence, Italy, based on availability of next-generation sequencing-derived mutation information. Diagnoses were according to the 2016 World Health Organization criteria (Blood. 2016;127:2391). Conventional statistics was employed to examine significance of associations, with separate analysis of arterial vs venous thrombosis, occurring at any time before or after formal diagnosis of ET or PV. For the purposes of the current study, only first events were considered. Results: 906 molecularly-annotated patients (416 from Mayo and 490 from Florence), including 502 ET and 404 PV cases, were included in the current study. The Mayo/Florence cohorts included 270/232 ET (median age 57/54 years, 60%/59% females) and 146/258 PV (median age 63/58 years, 52%/44% females) patients; median follow-up was 9.9/12.9 years for ET and 10.7/12.4 years for PV. Driver mutation distribution in ET was 55% JAK2, 27% CALR, 5% MPL and 13% triple-negative. Most frequent mutations, other than JAK2/CALR/MPL, were TET2 (14%; 11% in ET and 18% in PV) and ASXL1 (13%; 13% in ET and 13% in PV). 301 (33%) patients experienced first time thrombosis, before or after diagnosis, including 152 (30%) in ET and 149 (37%) in PV (p=0.03); arterial events occurred in 174 (19%) patients, including 96 (19%) in ET and 78 (19%) in PV (p=0.9); venous events occurred in 177 (20%) patients, including 82 (16%) in ET and 95 (24%) in PV (p=0.007). The number of vascular events after diagnosis was 174 (19%) for arterial and 154 (17%) for venous thrombosis, with no significant difference between ET and PV. Associations with arterial thrombosis: In multivariable logistic regression analysis that included both ET and PV (n=906), age >60 years (23% vs 16%; OR, 1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.2) and absence of ASXL1 and RUNX1 mutations (21% vs 9%; OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.4-4.8) were associated with arterial thrombosis; these associations remained significant (or near significant) when ET and PV were analyzed separately; in addition, JAK2 mutations in ET displayed borderline significance (p=0.05). Overall incidence of arterial events in ET was estimated at 27% in the presence of all three risk factors (i.e. older age, presence of JAK2 mutations and absence of ASXL1/RUNX1 mutations), 21% with two risk factors, 13% with one risk factor and 9% in the absence of all three risk factors (p=0.01). Associations with venous thrombosis: In multivariable analysis, including both ET and PV (n=906), JAK2 mutations (p<0.001), higher leukocyte count (p=0.03) and younger age (p=0.04) were identified as being significant. Analysis of ET patients only (n=502) identified JAK2 mutations (p<0.001; OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.4-4.1), absence of SRSF2 mutations (p=0.03) and younger age (p=0.04) as independent risk factors and in PV patients (n=404), higher leukocyte count (p=0.06). Prognostic interaction between JAK2 mutations and age: In ET, the overall frequency of venous events was 27% for young patients with JAK2 mutations vs 13% for older JAK2 mutated cases vs 10% for JAK2 unmutated young patients vs 13% for JAK2 unmutated older patients (p<0.001). The corresponding percentages for arterial events were 20%, 24%, 14% and 19%, respectively (p=0.1). Conclusions: JAK2 mutations contribute to the risk of both venous (younger patients) and arterial (young and older patients) thrombosis, in an age-dependent manner; the association with venous thrombosis might explain the higher incidence of venous thrombosis in PV, compared to ET. Additional studies are required to confirm the observed lower risk of thrombosis in patients with ASXL1, RUNX1 and SRSF2 mutations and provide insight into the underlying biological explanation. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.