Population-based age-specific incidences of cytogenetic subgroups of acute myeloid leukemia

Abstract

Background and objectives: It is well known that the different cytogenetic subgroups of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) show different age-specific frequencies. For example, balanced translocations tend to be found in younger patients while complex aberrant karyotypes are usually found in elderly patients with AML. However, detailed data on the population-based age-dependent incidences of distinct cytogenetic subtypes as well as of molecular mutations are lacking.

Design and methods: We evaluated the population-based age-specific incidences of different cytogenetic subgroups in 2555 patients with AML between 21 and 70 years of age. We also investigated the association of specific molecular markers (FLT3-M, FLT3- TKD, MLL-PTD, NRAS, CEPBA, KITD816).

Results: The incidence of balanced translocations was rather constant over lifetime. In contrast, the incidence of unbalanced aberrations and especially complex aberrant karyotypes increased sharply with age. There were also different age-specific incidences of some recurrent molecular mutations.

Interpretation and conclusions: These results are suggestive of different mechanisms in the pathogenesis of AML.