FLT3 D835/I836 mutations are associated with poor disease-free survival and a distinct gene-expression signature among younger adults with de novo cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia lacking FLT3 internal tandem duplications

Abstract

The prognostic relevance of FLT3 D835/I836 mutations (FLT3-TKD) in cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia (CN-AML) remains to be established. After excluding patients with FLT3 internal tandem duplications, we compared treatment outcome of 16 de novo CN-AML patients with FLT3-TKD with that of 123 patients with wild-type FLT3 (FLT3-WT), less than 60 years of age and similarly treated on Cancer and Leukemia Group B protocols. All FLT3-TKD(+) patients and 85% of FLT3-WT patients achieved a complete remission (P = .13). Disease-free survival (DFS) of FLT3-TKD(+) patients was worse than DFS of FLT3-WT patients (P = .01; estimated 3-year DFS rates, 31% vs 60%, respectively). In a multivariable analysis, FLT3-TKD was associated with worse DFS (P = .02) independent of NPM1 status and percentage of bone marrow blasts. To gain further biologic insights, a gene-expression signature differentiating FLT3-TKD(+) from FLT3-WT patients was identified. The signature (333 probe sets) included overexpression of VNN1, C3AR1, PTPN6, and multiple other genes involved in monocarboxylate transport activity, and underexpression of genes involved in signal transduction regulation. These associations with outcome, other prognostic markers, and the elucidated expression signature enhance our understanding of FLT3-TKD-associated biology and may lead to development of novel therapies that improve clinical outcome of CN-AML patients with FLT3-TKD.

Figure 1

Kaplan-Meier plot of disease-free survival of patients with FLT3-TKD and of those with wild-type FLT3 (FLT3-WT).

Figure 2

Heat map of the FLT3-TKD–associated gene signature. Expression values of the 333 probe sets in the signature are represented by color, with blue indicating expression below and red expression above the median value for the given probe set. For display purposes, the expression values of the probe sets were centered so that each probe set has the same median expression value. Rows represent probe sets (Table S2, identification of probe sets) and columns represent patients. Patients are grouped by FLT3-TKD (+) and FLT3-WT (−) status. NPM1 status is indicated as mutation positive (M) or wild-type (WT).