Ogbue, Olisaemeka

Abstract Background Missense mutations in IDH1 are well-established therapeutic targets in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In contrast, the synonymous IDH1 variant p.Gly105Gly (rs11554137), present in 5–10% of AML cases, has been considered a benign polymorphism due to its high population frequency (5.7% overall, 0.7–10.5%) and lack of protein-altering effect. However, prior studies have associated this variant with inferior outcomes (Wagner, J Clin Oncol, 2010), though findings have been inconsistent. Few studies have examined its prognostic significance in the context of treatment intensity or allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). Methods With IRB approval, clinical and genomic data were extracted from the Mayo Clinic AML database for patients diagnosed between Jan 1, 2018, and Jan 31, 2025. Patients were stratified by IDH1 Gly105Gly (rs11554137) status via NGS on bone marrow. Outcomes included co-mutation profiles, treatment response, measurable residual disease (MRD) by multiparametric flow cytometry, and survival. Multivariable Cox and logistic regression models for relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were adjusted for age at diagnosis, ELN 2022 risk category, and SCT conditioning regimen. Results Among 379 AML patients, 36 (9.5%) harbored the IDH1 Gly105Gly (rs11554137) variant (cases) (median VAF 49%, IQR 48–49.2). In the full cohort, median age was 68 years (IQR 59–74), M:F ratio was 1.5; 75% had de novo AML, and median follow-up was 52 months. Among cases, common cytogenetic abnormalities included complex karyotype (28%), del(7q) (14%), and trisomy 8 (6%), while frequently mutated genes included DNMT3A (19%), IDH2 (17%), and BCOR (14%). Of 345 treated patients, 43% received intensive, and 56% received low-intensity regimens, including hypomethylating agent (HMA) alone (n=13), HMA+venetoclax (n=159), and targeted therapy (n=7). Among cases, complete remission (CR) rates were higher with intensive vs. low-intensity therapy (70% vs. 17%, p=0.03). MRD positivity post induction was more common in cases (66% vs. 26%, p=0.01), suggesting suboptimal leukemic clearance. Among 103 patients who underwent allogeneic SCT in CR1 (47% received myeloablative conditioning), morphologic relapse occurred in 64.3% of cases compared to 23.6% of controls (p = 0.004). Cases experienced significantly inferior median RFS (8 months [95% CI 5–NA] vs. not reached for controls, p <0.001), indicating more durable post-SCT remission in the control group. In a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model adjusting for age, ELN risk, conditioning intensity, MRD status, and complex karyotype, the IDH1 Gly105Gly variant remained independently associated with shorter RFS (HR 3.97, 95% CI: 1.74–9.05, p = 0.001). Complex karyotype was also an independent predictor of relapse (HR 3.35, 95% CI: 1.28–8.73, p = 0.014). Consistent with this, logistic regression revealed a significantly increased odds of post-SCT relapse among cases (OR 7.95, 95% CI: 2.19–35.27, p=0.001), independent of clinical covariates. Relapsed cases were significantly more likely to harbor FLT3-ITD mutations than relapsed controls (p=0.041). Pathway-level analysis revealed increased frequency of mutations in signal transduction genes (FLT3-ITD, CSF3R, NF1) (p=0.002). All CNS relapses among cases occurred in patients harboring at least one of these mutations. Despite the higher relapse rate, there were no significant differences in OS (14.4 vs. 11.3 months, p=0.36) between cases and controls. The IDH1 Gly105Gly variant was not independently associated with OS (HR 1.26, p=0.30). In contrast, age (p<0.0001) and adverse ELN risk (p<0.0001) were significant predictors of inferior OS. These findings suggest that the prognostic impact of IDH1 Gly105Gly is most pronounced in the post-SCT setting. Conclusion The synonymous IDH1 Gly105Gly variant (rs11554137) is an independent predictor of post-SCT relapse in AML, potentially mediated by co-occurring mutations in signal transduction pathways. Despite no observed impact on OS, likely due to effective salvage therapies, the variant's link to lower CR rates with low-intensity therapy and higher MRD burden suggests treatment intensity influences its clinical relevance. These findings support reevaluating the prognostic role of synonymous variants in AML and call for larger studies and mechanistic investigations into splicing, transcript stability, and translation.

Abstract Chronic idiopathic neutropenia (CIN) is characterized by a persistently reduced absolute neutrophil count, typically <1.5×10⁹/L for ≥3 months, without identifiable infectious, nutritional, autoimmune, clonal, congenital, or drug-related causes. It most commonly affects adult women, carries a variable risk of infection, and is frequently managed expectantly in the absence of severe or recurrent infections. An index case of CIN with irregular menses and normalization of counts during pregnancy prompted an institution-wide review of adult neutropenia. U[p front we excluded cases of known congenital and drug-induced neutropenia. Among 238 presumed CIN patients, 88 had large granular lymphocytic (LGL) leukemia–associated neutropenia, 63 had autoimmune neutropenia defined by the presence of anti-neutrophil antibodies, and 87 met criteria for idiopathic neutropenia. Within the presumptive CIN group, extended blood antigen screening identified 12 patients with a Duffy-null phenotype, who were excluded from further idiopathic analysis (final n=75). This included 10 African American, 1 Caucasian, and 1 Asian patient. Extended blood-group profiling (Kidd, Colton, Lutheran, Dombrock, LW, ABO) showed no significant deviation from population frequencies. In the remaining non-Duffy CIN patients, remarkably 54/75 were female with a mean age of 45±16 years. At presentation, mean WBC was 2.84±0.58×10⁹/L and ANC was 0.92±0.39×10⁹/L, Hgb was 13.5±1.2g/dL and platelets were 229±83×10⁹/L. Antinuclear antibodies were assessed in 73 patients, with 63 negative and 10 positive, predominantly speckled (66%) but rheumatologic consultation did not yield systemic autoimmune diagnoses. Hypothyroidism was noted in two CIN cases. Irregular menses were reported in 50% of female CIN patients with documented histories, and among those, 80% exhibited higher or normal neutrophil counts during gestation. Physiologically, pregnancy is a progesterone-high state associated with neutrophilia and physiologic leukocytosis; in addition, progesterone can dampen cytotoxic T-cell activity and inflammatory signaling while supporting marrow niche function. Furthermore, progesterone binds PR on marrow stromal cells and can upregulate CSF3 (G-CSF) and possibly other hematopoietic growth factors, thus regulating granulopoiesis. By contrast, anovulatory or irregular cycles often reflect luteal progesterone deficiency, which may predispose susceptible patients to lower ANC prompting us to formulate a theory that excess of CIN in females may be due to a progesterone-responsive CIN subtype. From our cohort, there were no patients on progesterone-supplement to evaluate if there would be responsiveness secondary to its utilization. To further support this theory we turned to metanalytic resources. TriNetX1allowed us search and identify women receiving exogenous progesterone versus a control receiving non-hormonal contraceptives and assign to them a corresponding ANC. When we compared ANC in 1:1 greedy propensity-score matching to control for covariates (demographics, BMI, and disease confounders e.g., malignancy). balance between comparator groups was confirmed by standardized mean differences <0.10. After matching (n=18,561 per arm), the exogenous progesterone group had a significantly higher neutrophil count compared to non-hormonal contraception (1.9±3.7 vs 1.5±1.7; t=3.5, p=.0004). The cohort age range was similar to our patient population 44 ±19. Our observations motivate prospective evaluation of progesterone-high states as potential modifiers of ANC in otherwise idiopathic cases and particularly refractory cases Cycle-synchronized CBC with paired progesterone and estradiol measurements, together with controlled progesterone augmentation trials, can quantify ANC changes and clinical outcomes in this subset. We thank TriNetX and all participants for their contribution, without whom this research would not have been possible. ReferencesRobertson SA, Mayrhofer G, Seamark RF. Ovarian steroid hormones regulate granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor synthesis by uterine epithelial cells in the mouse. Biol Reprod. 1996 Jan;54(1):183-96. doi: 10.1095/biolreprod54.1.183. PMID: 8838016.

Abstract Background: Higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes/neoplasms (HR-MDS) and secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML) share overlapping molecular features but both remain clinically diverse with poor prognosis. Machine learning (ML)-based genomic clustering offers an opportunity to redefine disease subgroups beyond traditional clinical prognostic schemes or pathologic classifications. Prognostic scoring systems emphasize outcomes while pathologic classifications morphology resulting in inclusion of patients (pts) with different genetic background into same outcome or morphologic subgroup. We compared our ML-unsupervised clustering (UC) model named molecular nosology1 with the taxonomy model2 to evaluate differences in cluster architecture and clinical relevance in HR-MDS and sAML. Methods We analyzed HR-MDS (≥10% blasts) and sAML pts with available molecular data at diagnosis from a well-annotated cohort. Our molecular nosology model used UC via a binary latent-factor model to generate molecular clusters (MCs). The taxonomy model assigned pts to predefined genomic classes. We compared MC size, genomic enrichment, and overall survival (OS) across diagnostic categories. Concordance was assessed using Adjusted Rand Index (ARI) and Normalized Mutual Information (NMI). Purity and entropy were calculated to assess how concentrated (purity) or dispersed (entropy) each taxonomy group was across MCs. Results Among 898 pts, 367 (41%) had HR-MDS and 531 (59%) had sAML. Median age was 71 (IQR 65–77) years. Compared to sAML, HR-MDS pts had similar age (71 vs. 72, p=0.556) but higher hemoglobin (9.9 vs. 9.3, p<0.001) and platelet counts (91 vs. 50, p<0.001). Normal karyotype was more common in HR-MDS (55% vs. 42%, p<0.001). TET2 (24%), ASXL1 (24%), RUNX1 (23%), and SRSF2 (22%) were the most frequently mutated genes. Using our nosology model, we identified 14 MCs.1 The most frequent were MC2 (normal karyotype) at 22% and MC13 (TP53-complex) at 17%, followed by MC1 (+8/ASXL1/TET2/RUNX1, 12%), MC6 (SRSF2/RAS-pathway, 9%), and MC9 and MC14 (each 8%). Less common clusters included MC12 (5%) and MC3–MC5 (2–3%). For comparison, the taxonomy model included 18 genomic groups: TP53-complex (20%), mNOS (13%), bi-TET2, IDH-STAG2, and no event (each 10%), CCUS-like, SETBP1/-7, and AML-like (each 6%), SRSF2 (4%), del(5q), BCOR/L1, EZH2-ASXL1, and SF3B1 (each 3%), and five rare subgroups (DDX41, der(1;7), U2AF1157, U2AF134, ZRSR2; all <1%). Our MCs aligned closely with several taxonomy groups: 82% of TP53-complex cases were assigned to MC13, 99% of no event cases mapped to MC2, and 97% of del(5q) cases mapped to MC8. Bi-TET2 cases were distributed across MC6 and MC12 (both TET2-enriched); SETBP1/-7 to MC11; and EZH2-ASXL1 cases to MC1 and MC12. In contrast, mNOS, AML-like, and CCUS-like groups were genomically heterogeneous and spanned multiple MCs. ARI and NMI values were 0.391 and 0.458, indicating moderate concordance. Purity was highest in no event (0.989), del(5q) (0.967), and TP53-complex (0.823), and lowest in IDH-STAG2 (0.247), CCUS-like (0.241), and AML-like (0.347), all with high entropy (>2.5), reflecting genomic diversity not captured by taxonomy groups alone. Median OS for the entire cohort was 17 mo (95%CI: 14–20). HR-MDS pts had longer OS vs. sAML (26 vs. 12 mo, p<0.001). OS did not differ significantly between HR-MDS and sAML within most taxonomy groups or MCs, except for MC3 (NA vs. 11 mo, p=0.014), MC6 (111 vs. 15 mo, p<0.001), and MC9 (18 vs. 9 mo, p=0.027) for the nosology model and SF3B1 (129 vs. 23 mo, p=0.033), del(5q) (33 vs. 6 mo, p=0.022), bi-TET2 (25 vs. 8 mo, p=0.019), mNOS (34 vs. 9 mo, p<0.001) for taxonomy. Conclusions Some molecular taxonomy groups showed strong concordance with our nosology-defined clusters, which served as the gold standard for genomically distinct subsets (e.g., TP53-complex, del(5q), and no event), irrespective of diagnosis or blast percentage which may present the stage of the disease. In contrast, taxonomy-defined categories such as CCUS-like, AML-like, and mNOS were more genetically diverse and less aligned with specific clusters in the nosology model. Median OS within most clusters was not significantly influenced by blast count, underscoring the potential of molecular-driven clustering to reveal underlying disease biology not captured by morphology and to refine classification in MDS/AML and sAML with few exceptions (SF3B1 or biTET2). Ref 1.Kewan, Durmaz et al.Nat Commun 2023 2.Bernard, et al.Blood 2024

Abstract Background: Splenic Marginal Zone Lymphoma (SMZL) is a rare B-cell lymphoma with heterogeneous clinical behavior. Although typically indolent, survival outcomes are modestly inferior to those of other indolent lymphomas, with 5-year overall survival (OS) rates of 70–80% compared to 85–95% in follicular or nodal marginal zone lymphoma. Additionally, 5–10% of patients present with aggressive disease, highlighting the need for better prognostic tools and treatment strategies. While rituximab (RTX) has become central to SMZL management, often replacing splenectomy as first-line therapy, it remains unclear whether survival outcomes have improved during this era of increased RTX use. We conducted a national analysis to characterize treatment patterns, prognostic factors, and survival trends over time. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of SMZL cases diagnosed between 2004 and 2020 using the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Descriptive statistics characterized baseline features. OS was estimated via Kaplan-Meier methods and compared using log-rank tests. Cox proportional hazards models assessed prognostic factors. To evaluate changes in survival over time, we stratified cases by year of diagnosis into early (2004–2009), mid (2010–2014), and recent (2015–2020) RTX-era cohorts. Differences in survival between eras were compared using the log-rank (Mantel–Cox) test. Results: Among 7,228 patients with SMZL, treatment data were available for 7,176 (99.2%). Median age at diagnosis was 69 years (IQR: 60 to 77), with 4.9% identifying as African American. Of 4,167 patients with stage data, 64% had advanced-stage (III or IV) disease. Among patients with available risk scores, 37% were classified as high-risk by IPI (4-5) and 43% had a Charlson-Deyo (CD) comorbidity score of 3 or higher. Treatment patterns included splenectomy alone in 1,381 patients (19%), RTX monotherapy in 2,068 (28.5%), and combined RTX and splenectomy in 3,727 (51.9%). Chemotherapy was administered to 1,834 patients (25%), radiation to 29 (0.4%), and autologous transplant to 3. Treatment modalities overlapped due to multimodal approaches; Patients undergoing splenectomy tended to be younger (≤65 years), have earlier-stage disease, lower CD scores, and low-risk IPI (all p < 0.001). Sixty-eight percent received care at academic centers. Median follow-up was 130 months (95% CI: 123.2 to 136.4). Three- and five-year OS rates were 81.5% and 73.6%, respectively. Despite increased RTX use over time, no significant improvement in OS was observed across eras (log-rank p = 0.35). Survival varied significantly by treatment strategy (p < 0.001). Patients who received neither RTX nor splenectomy had the poorest outcomes, with a median OS of 19.3 months (95% CI not estimable to 70.7). Splenectomy alone was associated with the longest median OS of 148.8 months (95% CI: 137.9 to 159.7), though this likely reflects favorable patient selection. Median OS was not reached for RTX monotherapy patients, suggesting similarly favorable, if not superior long-term outcomes. Combined RTX and splenectomy were associated with similarly prolonged survival (median OS 119.4 to 120.6 months). Addition of chemotherapy in sequential treatment did not significantly affect OS (121 vs. 131 months; p = 0.07). On multivariable analysis, factors independently associated with inferior OS included older age at diagnosis (HR 1.07; 95% CI: 1.06–1.08; p < 0.001) and higher CD comorbidity score (HR 1.29; 95% CI: 1.18–1.42; p < 0.001). In contrast, female sex (HR 0.66; 95% CI: 0.56–0.78; p < 0.001), treatment at an academic center (HR 0.84; 95% CI: 0.71–0.99; p = 0.04), and receipt of RTX (HR 0.48; 95% CI: 0.32–0.74; p < 0.001) were associated with prolonged OS. Conclusion: In this large national cohort of SMZL, receipt of RTX, alone or with splenectomy, was associated with improved OS. Favorable prognostic factors included younger age, female sex, lower comorbidity burden, and treatment at academic centers. However, despite greater RTX use over time, population-level survival in the recent RTX era has not significantly improved, likely reflecting poor outcomes in relapsed or refractory disease. These findings highlight the need to optimize frontline therapy and develop novel strategies to improve long-term outcomes in SMZL.

Abstract Background Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare but aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma with limited prospective data to guide optimal therapy. This study evaluates real-world treatment patterns and survival outcomes using a large national cohort. Methods We analyzed data from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) for patients diagnosed with PCNSL between 2004 and 2020. Baseline demographics and treatment characteristics were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Survival outcomes were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using log-rank tests. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were constructed to identify independent predictors of overall survival (OS). Results A total of 14,450 patients with PCNSL were included; 14,439 had first-line treatment data available, and 13,390 had survival data. Median age at diagnosis was 67 years (range 18-90), 49.2% were female, and 6.6% were African American. Chemotherapy alone was the modality of treatment for 81.6% (n=11,787), 12.2% (n=1,769) received chemoradiation, 3.8% (n=545) received chemotherapy and underwent autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) but no radiation, and 2.4% (n=348) received radiation only. The median follow-up time was 73.5 months (95% CI 71.4-75.6), and the median OS for the group was 17.4 months (95% CI 16.2-18.6). Survival differed significantly by age group (median OS: <65 yrs, 46.1 months [95% CI 41.7 -50.6]; 65-79 yrs, 12.5 months [95% CI 11.2-13.7]; ≥80 yrs, 3.2 months [95% CI 2.9-3.5]; p<0.001), by year of diagnosis (median OS: 2004-2009, 11.0 months [95% CI 9.9-12.1]; 2010-2015, 20.0 months [95% CI 17.4-22.6], 2016-2020, 29.7 months [95% CI 26.0-33.4]; p<0.001), and by frontline treatment strategy (p<0.001). Patients treated with chemotherapy followed by ASCT had the longest median OS (not reached), while those receiving radiation alone had the poorest outcomes with a median OS of 3.9 months (95% CI 3.2-4.7); chemoradiation patients had a median OS of 31.8 months (95% CI 27.5-36.1), and chemotherapy only patients had a median OS of 13.9 months (95% CI 12.7-15.1)(p<0.001). African American patients had an inferior outcome with a median OS of 10.2 months [95% CI 7.2-13.1], compared to “other” races with a median OS of 36.9 months [95% CI 27.6-46.1] (p<0.001), although this is more similar to the median outcome for white patients (17.0 months [95% CI 15.8-18.3]). Treatment at an academic center (25.7 vs 11.0 months) and a high case-volume center (defined as >median number of cases per facility) (18.6 vs 10.5 months), and lower Charlson-Deyo comorbidity scores (CDS) (defined as CDS 0-1) (21.7 vs 6.8 months) were also associated with superior OS (p<0.001). In multivariable analysis, increasing age ( 65-79 y.o HR 1.60 [1.52-1.1.68], ≥80 y.o HR 2.95 [2.75-3.17]), CDS≥2 (HR 1.36 [1.28-1.44]), and African American race (HR 1.12 [1.02-1.24]) were adverse predictors of OS (all p<0.001), while treatment strategy (ASCT [HR 0.17], chemoradiation [HR 0.53], chemotherapy only [HR 0.68] compared to radiation alone), more recent year of diagnosis (2010-2015 [HR 0.81], 2016-2020 [0.70]), and treatment at an academic center [HR 0.81] remained predictors of superior OS (all p<0.001). Conclusion In this large national cohort of patients with PCNSL, treatment with chemotherapy followed by ASCT was associated with the most favorable survival outcomes. Patients treated with chemoradiation or multi-agent chemotherapy also demonstrated improved survival compared to those receiving radiation monotherapy or single-agent chemotherapy alone, respectively. Age, comorbidities, race, and treatment at academic centers were also significant independent predictors of OS. These findings highlight substantial disparities in outcomes and underscore the importance of optimizing treatment strategies, improving access to high-intensity therapies, and supporting timely referral to academic or high case-volume centers, particularly for younger and medically fit patients.