Search

We retrospectively analyzed 87 patients with angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma (AITL) in Taiwan. The median age was 68 (range 18-89) years. Of these patients, 74 % was at an advanced stage. The most common extra-nodal site involved was bone marrow (36 %). Of these patients, 77 % were International Prognostic Index (IPI)1 and 79 % had a prognostic index for peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PIT)1. Of 75 patients who received systemic chemotherapy, the complete remission rate was 60 %, the relapse rate was 47 %, and the 2-year progression-free survival rate was 37.4 %. The 2-year overall survival (OS) rate for all patients was 51.9 %. By multivariate analysis, bone marrow involvement (P 0.001) and ECOG1 (P = 0.007) were independent adverse factors for OS. A simplified prognostic index efficiently stratified patients into the following three groups: 2-year OS rates 79.8 % (0 factor), 28.3 % (1 factor), and 10.2 % (2 factors) by using bone marrow involvement and ECOG1 (P 0.001). In conclusion, AITL patients were older and had poorer prognosis in Taiwan. Bone marrow involvement, EOCG1, IPI1 and PIT1 had adverse impact on OS. The usefulness of this simplified prognostic index needs further validation.

Objectives We aimed to define the clinical features, outcome, and prognostic factors for extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL) patients in Taiwan. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 101 ENKTL patients diagnosed between February 1998 and October 2015. Results The median age of 101 patients was 52 years old (range 22-85); 76.2% of patients were Ann Arbor stage I/II disease. The 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 49.9% and 54.8%, respectively. Patients with log[EBV-DNA] ≥ 3.8 and bone marrow hemophagocytosis at diagnosis had inferior PFS and OS. Most stage I/II patients received combined chemoradiotherapy with anthracycline-containing regimen, with overall response rate of 96.7%, complete response rate 86.9%, 5-year PFS 65%, and OS 72%. The relapse rate was 29.3% with a short median disease-free survival of 6.2 months. In advanced stage patients, overall response rate was only 13.6%, with median PFS 2.3 months, and OS 4.8 months. Age ≥ 60 (HR 3.773, 95% CI 1.733-8.215, P = 0.001) and stage III/IV (HR 7.785, 95% CI 2.312-26.213, P = 0.001) were unfavorable prognostic factors for PFS and OS by multivariate analyses. Conclusions Age ≥ 60 and stage III/IV are independent poor prognostic factors for PFS and OS. Early-stage ENKTL patients had good response to combined chemoradiotherapy with anthracycline-containing regimen but with a high relapse rate and short disease-free survival. Anthracycline-containing regimen in advanced stage had poor response and dismal outcome.

The diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) presenting with ascites is predominantly based on the morphological and immunophenotypic characteristics, which are comparable to peripheral blood and bone marrow cells. However, it is relatively difficult to diagnose CLL due to the pleomorphism of the lymphocytes in ascites. The current study presents an 80-year-old male with a prior diagnosis of CLL who developed large ascites. Predominant T lymphocytes rendered morphological and immunophenotypic diagnosis difficult. Clonality analysis of immunoglobulin (Ig) gene rearrangements was performed on the lymphocytes from the ascites to diagnose the involvement of CLL, a laparotomy and biopsy from the peritoneal node confirmed the involvement of small lymphocytic lymphoma/CLL. The clonality analysis of Ig gene rearrangements may provide a powerful and accurate method for diagnosing CLL presenting with ascites.

Testicular lymphoma is a rare condition, so large scale prospective studies are difficult to conduct. Consensus regarding standard treatment is lacking. This study retrospectively reviewed 22 patients with testicular lymphoma. One patient with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) was lost to follow-up after diagnosis. Two patients with Burkitt's lymphoma had poor outcomes regardless of treatment. Thus, we analyzed the clinical features, treatments, and outcomes of 19 patients with DLBCL. The median progression-free and overall survival was 28.3 and 36.3 months, respectively. A good response to treatment was a favorable prognostic factor. Because of the high relapse rate, the outcome is poor for testicular lymphoma. Therefore, long-term follow-up is strongly recommended.

Patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) are prone to both bleeding and thrombosis. The bleeding complications are well known. In contrast, APL-associated thrombosis is relatively underappreciated. We aimed to explore the issue of APL-associated thrombosis events. In the past 20 years, 127 cases with APL were found in our hospital database. We collected their coagulation laboratory profiles, including leukemia burdens, white blood cell and platelet counts, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen levels, and disseminated intravascular coagulation scores. Data were compared between patients with or without thrombosis. Clinical outcomes and potential risk factors were obtained for analysis. Ten cases with APL-associated thrombosis were found. The incidence of thrombosis was 7.9% in our cohort. Five patients had cerebral infarction, 5 had catheter-related thrombosis and 1 had acute myocardial infarction. No laboratory data were associated with clinical thrombosis. Three patients died during the induction phase but thrombosis was not the direct cause of death for any of them. We conclude that patients with APL are susceptible to thrombosis in addition to bleeding. Laboratory coagulation parameters did not predict thrombosis in our series. Ischemic stroke and catheter-related thrombosis were the most common events in our Taiwanese cohort. Such a thrombosis pattern is unique and worth further investigation.

Background: Patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) have an increased risk for thrombosis and bleeding and show a defect in adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet aggregation. This risk of thrombosis is further increased in MPN patients bearing the JAK2V617F mutation. Two ADP receptors, P2Y1 and P2Y12, are present on platelets. Although the pattern of defective ADP-induced platelet aggregation in MPN suggests an abnormality in the P2Y12 pathway, no previous studies have specifically evaluated P2Y12 function in MPN or the relationship between P2Y12 function and the JAK2V617F mutation. Methods: Forty-one MPN patients were enrolled, including 24 with essential thrombocythemia (ET), 16 with polycythemia vera (PV) and 1 with primary myelofibrosis. Platelet P2Y12 function in MPN was evaluated by flow-cytometric measurement of the phosphorylation of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP). Clinical data were collected by review of medical records. JAK2V617F mutation was detected by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction. JAK2V617F allele burden was measured by the pyrosequencing method. Results: In patients with MPN, platelet P2Y12 function determined by VASP platelet reactivity index (PRI) was inversely correlated with platelet and white blood cell (WBC) counts. In subgroup analysis, PRI was inversely correlated with platelet and WBC counts in PV. PRI was also inversely correlated with platelet counts in ET, but the correlation of PRI and WBC counts did not reach statistical significance. Eight of the 41 patients had a history of thrombosis and only 2 had a bleeding history. Neither thrombosis nor bleeding patients were found to have significantly different PRIs. JAK2V617F mutation data were available in 35 cases. PRI was not different between JAK2V617F mutation and wild-type patients but PRI had a trend towards an inverse correlation with JAK2V617F allele burden for patients with mutations. Conclusions: The present study provides the first explicit demonstration of a defect in the P2Y12 pathway in platelets of patients with MPN. Furthermore, platelet P2Y12 function, assayed by VASP, is inversely correlated with platelet and WBC counts in patients with MPN. Platelet P2Y12 function also appears to be inversely correlated with JAK2V617F allele burden. This compromised P2Y12 function may be a novel mechanism for the bleeding tendency associated with extreme thrombocytosis in MPN.

Background: Bleeding is the leading cause of death for patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). Blood component transfusion to correct coagulopathy is the keystone in reducing bleeding. The benefit of fresh frozen plasma transfusion is unproven. Using laboratory profiles to predict bleeding is important guidance for the determination of transfusion policies in the treatment of APL. Design and methods: For 116 patients of APL, bleeding events were collected and correlated with various hematologic and coagulation parameters, including leukemic cell percentages, white blood cell (WBC) and platelet counts, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen levels, and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) scores. Results: Overt DIC occurred in 77.6% of patients. Severity of DIC was associated with bone marrow leukemic cell percentages but unrelated to bleeding. Patients with bleeding had significantly higher WBC counts (26.73 ± 6.18 vs. 13.03 ± 3.03 per μL, P = 0.026) and more prolonged PT (4.85 ± 0.70 vs. 2.59 ± 0.28 s, P = 0.002) and APTT (3.98 ± 1.68 vs. 0.96 ± 0.93 s, P = 0.017). Fibrinogen levels, platelet counts, and leukemia cell percentages were not significantly different between bleeding and non-bleeding patients. PT is valuable in prediction of bleeding. Patients with PT ≧ 5 s had a relative risk of 6.14 for bleeding. Seven patients had severe bleeding before initiation of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA). Conclusions: Patients with APL are susceptible to DIC and subsequent bleeding events. Prompt ATRA administration is crucial in preventing hemorrhagic events. High WBC counts, prolonged PT, and APTT are associated with clinical bleeding in our series. PT is the most accurate parameter in predicting bleeding. Based on these findings, supportive care should be directed toward correction of coagulopathy to prevent bleeding complications and fresh frozen plasma appears to be indicated for coagulopathy associated with APL.

Background: Surgical resection is considered a crucial treatment in patients with primary colonic lymphoma, but combining surgery with chemotherapy has provided additional therapeutic benefits in some studies. To further explore the optimal therapeutic approach in different clinical scenarios, we reviewed cases with localized large-cell lymphoma and analyzed the factors related to the outcomes. Patients and methods: The 74 cases diagnosed between February 1979 and October 2010 were retrospectively reviewed for clinical features, laboratory findings, and pathological diagnosis. The outcomes were correlated with their demographics and different treatment modalities. Results: Of the 74 cases, only the patients who had complete tumor resection had significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS). The patients treated with resection and chemotherapy had better overall survival (OS) and PFS than those treated with resection alone. The OS and PFS of the patients who were treated with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) chemotherapy without surgery were similar to those of patients treated with CHOP and resection, but the patients treated with resection followed by cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone (COP) chemotherapy had significantly better OS and PFS than the patients treated with COP chemotherapy alone. For patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), rituximab-based chemotherapy with or without resection had similar OS and PFS. Conclusions: We conclude that chemotherapy alone provides similar therapeutic effect compared with surgery and chemotherapy and that surgical resection can be spared if an endoscopic diagnosis could be made.

Background: Classical hairy cell leukemia (HCL-C) and its variant (HCL-V) are rare chronic B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders. Only a few reports in Chinese patients are available. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 16 patients with HCL-C and HCL-V in Taiwan over a 17-year period. Results: Eight were HCL-C and 8 were HCL-V. All HCL accounted for 0.7% of all adult leukemias. Compared to HCL-V, HCL-C was characterized by profound leukopenia, monocytopenia, thrombocytopenia and fewer circulating hairy cells. One HCL-C and 2 HCL-V patients had second malignancies. Seven HCL-C patients achieved hematological remission after splenectomy (n = 1) or 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine (n = 6). Of the 8 HCL-V patients, 6 received splenic irradiation. Only one achieved complete remission and another had partial remission; relapse or disease progression was noted 13.4 or 25.7 months later, respectively. Two of three HCL-V patients who underwent splenectomy had stable disease. All patients with HCL-C were alive while 3 with HCL-V expired. Compared to HCL-C, HCL-V had a significantly shorter leukemia-free survival. Conclusion: A relatively higher proportion of HCL-V in all HCL comparing to Westerners is observed. Second malignancies are common. With an inferior outcome and dismal response to most treatment, enrollment in a clinical trial should be considered for HCL-V.

// Hsiao-Wen Kao 1, 2 , Der-Cherng Liang 3 , Ming-Chung Kuo 1, 4 , Jin-Hou Wu 1 , Po Dunn 1, 4 , Po-Nan Wang 1 , Tung-Liang Lin 1 , Yu-Shu Shih 1 , Sung-Tzu Liang 3 , Tung-Huei Lin 1 , Chen-Yu Lai 4 , Chun-Hui Lin 3 , Lee-Yung Shih 1, 4 1 Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan 2 Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan 3 Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan 4 College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan Correspondence to: Lee-Yung Shih, e-mail: sly7012@adm.cgmh.org.tw Keywords: MLL-PTD, acute myeloid leukemia, gene mutation, DNMT3A mutation Received: July 30, 2015 Accepted: August 28, 2015 Published: September 08, 2015 ABSTRACT The mutational profiles of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with partial tandem duplication of mixed-lineage leukemia gene ( MLL -PTD) have not been comprehensively studied. We studied 19 gene mutations for 98 patients with MLL -PTD AML to determine the mutation frequency and clinical correlations. MLL -PTD was screened by reverse-transcriptase PCR and confirmed by real-time quantitative PCR. The mutational analyses were performed with PCR-based assays followed by direct sequencing. Gene mutations of signaling pathways occurred in 63.3% of patients, with FLT3 -ITD (44.9%) and FLT3 -TKD (13.3%) being the most frequent. 66% of patients had gene mutations involving epigenetic regulation, and DNMT3A (32.7%), IDH2 (18.4%), TET2 (18.4%), and IDH1 (10.2%) mutations were most common. Genes of transcription pathways and tumor suppressors accounted for 23.5% and 10.2% of patients. RUNX1 mutation occurred in 23.5% of patients, while none had NPM1 or double CEBPA mutation. 90.8% of MLL -PTD AML patients had at least one additional gene mutation. Of 55 MLL -PTD AML patients who received standard chemotherapy, age older than 50 years and DNMT3A mutation were associated with inferior outcome. In conclusion, gene mutations involving DNA methylation and activated signaling pathway were common co-existed gene mutations. DNMT3A mutation was a poor prognostic factor in MLL -PTD AML.

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Age over 60 years is one of the five parameters of the International Prognostic Index (IPI), which is the most important clinical prognostic predictor in DLBCL. A previous study on German DLBCL patients over 60 years of age showed that immunoblastic morphology, but not germinal center B cell-like (GCB)/non-GCB subtype, correlated with short survival. We collected 174 DLBCL cases over 60 years of age in Taiwan and performed immunophenotyping and detection of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded RNA (EBER) by in situ hybridization. Of the cases, 5.2 % were positive for CD5 and 5.7 % positive for EBER. Neither immunoblastic morphology nor GCB/non-GCB subtype correlated with survival. In univariate analysis, adverse prognostic factors included IPI ≥ 3 (P < 0.000001), B symptoms (P = 0.000075), bone marrow/peripheral blood involvement (P = 0.017), EBER positivity (P = 0.0013), and CD5 positivity (P = 0.016). In multivariate analysis, CD5 positivity was the only independent adverse prognostic factor (HR = 3.16; 95 % CI = 1.34–7.47; P = 0.0087) in addition to IPI ≥ 3 (HR = 3.07; 95 % CI = 1.84–5.11; P = 0.000018). Surprisingly, despite an overall 5.2 % incidence of central nervous system (CNS) relapse in our patients, none of the CD5+ cases experienced CNS relapse (P = 1.00). This is in stark contrast to the more frequent CNS relapse in Japanese CD5+ DLBCL patients. EBER positivity was associated with IPI ≥ 3 (P = 0.010), stage III–IV (P = 0.0082), and B symptoms (P = 0.011). In multivariate analysis, EBER positivity was not an independent adverse prognostic factor (P = 0.81), its effect being due likely to accompanying adverse clinical parameters.

The roles of CEBPalpha mutations and its cooperating mutations in the relapse of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are not clear. CEBPalpha mutations were analyzed on 149 patients with de novo AML at both diagnosis and relapse. Twenty-two patients (14.8%) had the mutations at diagnosis, two patients had N-terminal nonsense mutations alone, one had homozygous inframe duplication at the bZIP domain, and 19 patients had both N-terminal and bZIP mutations. Twenty patients relapsed with identical mutant patterns, two lost CEBPalpha mutations and none acquired the mutations at relapse. Cloning analysis showed that the N-terminal and C-terminal mutations occurred on separate cloned alleles and also on the same alleles in most of the diagnosis and relapse samples. Losing one of the two or more mutations on the same allele or acquiring the other mutation on the allele original carrying single mutation were observed not infrequently in the paired samples analyzed. Seven patients with CEBPalpha mutations had cooperating mutations with FLT3/ITD, FLT3/TKD or N-ras but not K-ras mutations. Our study showed that 91% of de novo AML harboring CEBPalpha mutations at diagnosis retained the identical mutant patterns but frequently changed in the allelic distribution at relapse.

Purpose: We aimed to assess the role of CEBPα mutations in the progression of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) to acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and their cooperating mutations. Experimental Design: Mutational analysis of CEBPα with direct sequencing for each PCR product was done on matched bone marrow samples obtained from 50 adult patients with MDS at diagnosis and at AML transformation. Cloning analysis was used to determine the allelic distribution. Results: CEBPα mutations were identified in four patients at diagnosis of MDS, including one with refractory anemia with excess blasts and three with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. At AML transformation, three patients retained the identical mutant clones as their initial diagnosis, three acquired the mutations, and one lost CEBPα mutation when she gained FLT3/ITD mutation. Together, seven patients had CEBPα mutations throughout the disease course; four patients had NH2-terminal mutations resulting in a frameshift and truncation of the protein, three of them had two different mutations either on the same alleles or on different alleles, two had missense mutations, and one had a deletion in the basic region leucine zipper domain. Except for one with coexistence of N-ras mutation, no sample harbored cooperating mutations with FLT3 or N-ras genes. CEBPα mutations had no influence on the time to AML progression or overall survival. Conclusions: Our results show that CEBPα mutations play a role in a subset of patients with MDS, especially in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. The mutation status was heterogeneous, exhibiting identical clone, clonal change, or clonal evolution during the progression to AML.

A 47-year-old man had suffered from prolonged fever for two months without clinical evidence of infection. Blood biochemistry and endocrine dysfunction indicated that he had pituitary insufficiency. Thorough whole body imaging studies merely identified a 22 x 14 mm mass lesion in the sella turcica. Tumor pathology and special cell marker study revealed the infiltration of atypical T-lymphoid cells and concomitant presence of some B-lymphoid cells. The fever subsided gradually following subtotal tumor resection and steroid supplementation. However, the mass lesion had invaded the cavernous sinus and optic chiasma shortly after surgery. Six months after his initial visit, metastasis lesions in the liver, the left adrenal gland, and retroperitoneal lymph nodes were discovered. In contrast to cells in the pituitary, the pathological investigation of the liver mass confirmed it to be exclusively of T-cell origin. Therefore, it is plausible that the pituitary dysfunction was related to an inflammatory process, namely hypophysitis, as well as the T-cell lymphoma. This case exemplifies the rarely noted condition of primary pituitary lymphoma with concomitant hypophysitis. Clinical diagnosis is indiscernible until the occurrence of systemic tumor metastasis.

BACKGROUND The prognostic significance of internal tandem duplication (ITD) of the fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 gene (FLT3) for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is not clearly defined. In the current study, the authors sought to assess the value of FLT3/ITD mutation status as a prognostic genetic marker for patients with MDS. METHODS FLT3/ITD mutation status was evaluated by performing DNA polymerase chain reaction assays on 198 bone marrow samples obtained from patients with MDS at initial diagnosis. All aberrant products were sequenced, and GeneScan analysis was performed to measure FLT3/ITD mutant levels. RESULTS Five patients (2.5%)—2 of the 99 patients who had refractory anemia with excess blasts and 3 of the 51 patients who had chronic myelomonocytic leukemia—had FLT3/ITD mutations. FLT3/ITD was not observed in any of the 48 patients who had refractory anemia (with or without ringed sideroblasts). There was no significant difference in clinicohematologic characteristics, cytogenetic characteristics, or International Prognostic Scoring System score between the FLT3/ITD-positive group and the FLT3/ITD-negative group. Four of the 5 patients carrying the FLT3/ITD mutation experienced progression of disease to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), compared with 70 of the 193 patients who did not have FLT3/ITD (P = 0.066). In addition, progression to AML was more rapid in patients with FLT3/ITD-positive disease than in patients with FLT3/ITD-negative disease (mean ± standard error, 3.0 ± 0.5 months vs. 62.8 ± 5.6 months; P < 0.0001). Patients with FLT3/ITD-positive disease also had significantly shorter survival compared with patients who had FLT3/ITD-negative disease (mean ± standard error, 5.2 ± 1.4 months vs. 33.7 ± 3.1 months; P < 0.0001). On multivariate analysis, FLT3/ITD was identified as an independent predictor of reduced time to development of AML (P = 0.0001) and reduced overall survival (P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS The results of the current study demonstrate that FLT3/ITD is associated with a high risk of transformation to AML, rapid progression of AML, and poor survival in patients with MDS. Cancer 2004. © 2004 American Cancer Society.

Purpose: We analyzed Asp835 mutations of FLT3 on paired marrow samples at diagnosis and relapse from 120 adult patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) to determine the role of FLT3 Asp835 mutation in the relapse of AML. Experimental Design: Asp835 mutation was analyzed by DNA PCR amplification of exon 20 of FLT3 gene followed by EcoRV digestion. All of the mutations were confirmed by sequence analysis. Mutant to wild-type allelic ratio was determined by Genescan analysis. The Expand Long Template PCR System was used to determine the allelic location of internal tandem duplication of FLT3 (FLT3/ITD) and Asp835 mutations. Results: Thirteen patients had Asp835 mutations at diagnosis, of them 8 lost the mutations at relapse, and the remaining 5 patients carrying Asp835 mutations at diagnosis relapsed with the identical mutation types. Another 6 patients acquired Asp835 mutations at relapse. Five samples harbored both FLT3/ITD and Asp835 mutations that were found on different alleles by cloning analysis in the 3 patients studied. There were no differences in WBC count, French-American-British subtype, percentage of marrow blasts, or circulating blasts between patients with and without Asp835 mutations, whereas the difference in the prevalence of Asp835 mutations among cytogenetic/molecular subgroups was statistically significant (P = 0.025). Conclusions: The present study showed that patients with AML had heterogeneous patterns of FLT3 Asp835 mutations, either acquisition or loss of the mutations at relapse. Asp835 mutant clone may develop as a secondary event in a subset of patients with AML.

Twenty-three patients with primary salivary gland lymphoma were diagnosed between 1990 and 2001. The sites of involvement were the parotid gland in 13, the submandibular gland in 9 and the minor salivary gland in 1. The sites of lymphoma involvement beyond the salivary glands were the cervical lymph nodes in 7, bone marrow in 3, the axillary lymph nodes in 3, the nasopharynx in 2, the abdominal lymph nodes in 2, the palate, the subconjunctiva, and the spleen in 1 each patient. Histologically, 19 patients had lymphomas of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) with myoepithelial sialadenitis in 13, 3 patients had diffuse large cell lymphomas and 1 had follicular lymphoma. Six patients were in stage I, 4 in II, 1 in III and 12 in IV. Eight of 23 patients (35%) had autoimmune diseases before or after the diagnosis of NHL and all suffered from MALT lymphoma. Four patients with parotid MALT lymphoma had primary or secondary Sjögren’s syndrome. One each patient suffered from hyperthyroidism, systemic lupus erythematosus, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis and cryoglobulinemia, respectively. All the 6 stage I patients had achieved complete remission (CR) without relapses 17–84 months (median 44 months) after treatment. Excluding a stage IV patient with follicular lymphoma who died at 3.5 months without treatment, CR was achieved in all of the remaining 16 patients. However, a high relapse rate (9/16, 56%) was noted in stage II–IV patients. These patients tended to relapse in the original sites, but achieved CR again after chemotherapy or radiotherapy. One patient with MALT lymphoma developed histologic transformation into diffuse large lymphoma during relapse and died of refractory disease. Overall, only 2 patients succumbed. The overall survival and relapse-free survival rates at 5 years were 94.7 and 51.4%, respectively. Thus, salivary gland lymphoma proved to be an indolent disease.

BACKGROUND The clinical relevance of mutations of the FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) gene in specific cytogenetic subgroups is not clear. The authors examined internal tandem duplication (ITD) and Asp835 mutations of FLT3 in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) to determine the incidence of these mutations and to analyze the results for correlations with clinicohematologic features and outcome. METHODS Bone marrow samples from 107 patients with APL were analyzed. Isoforms of PML-RARα were identified using a reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction assay. A standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was used to detect FLT3/ITD mutations. Asp835 mutations were analyzed by PCR amplification of exon 20 followed by EcoRV digestion. All aberrant PCR products subsequently were sequenced. RESULTS Twenty-two patients had FLT3/ITD mutations: 9 of 63 patients with L-type PML/RARα, 13 of 34 patients with S-type PML/RARα, and 0 of 10 patients with V-type PML/RARα (P = 0.005). The incidence of FLT3/ITD mutations was significantly higher in patients with S-type PML/RARα than in patients with L-type PML/RARα or V-type PML/RARα. Twenty patients had Asp835 mutations (L-type PML/RARα: n = 11; S-type PML/RARα: n = 8; V-type PML/RARα: n = 1). The frequency of Asp835 mutations was not significantly different among patients with different PML/RARα isoforms (P = 0.582). Three patients had both ITD and Asp835 mutations. The microgranular variant (M3v) form of leukemia was found to be associated with a higher frequency of ITD (P = 0.002) but not with a higher frequency of Asp835 mutations (P = 1.000); analysis of clinicohematologic variables revealed no significant differences in FLT3 mutation incidence among other patient subgroups. There was no significant difference in complete remission rate, overall survival, or event-free survival between patients with ITDs and those without ITDs or between patients with Asp835 mutations and those without Asp835 mutations. CONCLUSIONS The current study found that ITD or Asp835 mutations of the FLT3 gene were present in 36.4% of patients with APL; however, these mutations had no prognostic impact. FLT3/ITD frequently was associated with S-type PML/RARα and with the M3v form of leukemia. Cancer 2003;98:1206–16. © 2003 American Cancer Society. DOI 10.1002/cncr.11636

The thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare disorder with a high mortality rate if untreated or delayed therapy. Whether immediate diagnosis and promptly treated with plasma exchange can change the grave prognosis?Retrospective analysis was performed on clinical characteristics and treatment outcome of 13 patients diagnosed and treated during a 6-year period, from August 1994 to August 2000, in a tertiary care university hospital in Taiwan.Among the patients, 8 were males and 5 were females, 10 were idiopathic, 2 were ticlopidine, and 1 was SLE-induced; 12 (92.3%) had neurological abnormalities, 11 (84.6%) had ecchymosis, 8 (61.5%) had fever, and 6 (46.2%) had renal impairment (creatinineor = 1.5 mg/dL) at initial presentation of the syndrome. Excluding the SLE patient, 6 of 10 (60%) had shown antinuclear antibody (ANA) non-specific positive (titeror = 1:40). All patients were initially treated with plasma exchange plus steroids. Of these 13 patients, 11 (84.6%) achieved complete remission, one had partial remission, and one, which was ticlopidine-induced, had no response and died of a progressive disease complicated with pneumonia. Within a median follow-up period of 31 months, 4 of 11 patients who achieved complete remission relapsed after one week, two weeks, three weeks, and three months, respectively. In the four relapsing patients, three late relapsing patients received FFP infusion, increased steroid dosages, added cyclophosphamide plus vincristine; and one early relapsing patient, relapsing twice, received an additional two courses of plasma exchange and added cyclophosphamide plus vincristine. All of the four patients achieved complete remission again. The patient who had partial remission relapsed early and responded promptly to another course of plasma exchange plus cyclophosphamide and vincristine and achieved complete remission.Based on the results in this study, we conclude that plasma exchange plus steroids can effectively treat TTP. For patients with a refractory or relapsing disease, immunosuppressive therapy with cyclophosphamide plus vincristine should be administered as well.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) has a high mortality rate if left untreated with plasma exchange promptly. We report two cases of ticlopidine-induced TTP, which lesser dosages of ticlopidine (200-250 mg/day) were prescribed and were treated with plasma exchange (PE) plus steroids. The first case was treated successfully, but the second case did not respond to our treatment and died of a progressive disease complicated with pneumonia. In sum, we recommend careful use of ticlopidine, regardless of the dosages prescribe and regardless of how long the drug is used. Moreover, the adverse effect of ticlopidine should be closely monitored.

Background We assessed the in vitro culture growth of erythroid progenitors [burst forming unit-erythroid (BFU-E)] and serum erythropoietin (EPO) levels in different groups of polycythaemia to determine the discriminative power in the differential diagnosis of polycythaemia. Methods We used the methylcellulose culture technique to study the growth of endogenous erythroid colonies (EECs) and EPO-dependent BFU-E from bone marrow (BM) and/or peripheral blood (PB) cells from 40 patients with polycythaemia vera (PV), 13 with secondary polycythaemia (SP), 19 with pure erythrocytosis (PE), five with PE and PV evolution later (PE-PV), and 12 with relative polycythaemia (RP). The serum EPO levels were measured by radioimmunoassay before treatment in 47 PV patients, 23 SP patients, 19 PE patients, five PE-PV patients and 16 RP patients, as well as after treatment in 38 PV patients, five PE-PV patients and 12 PE patients. Results The results of the erythroid progenitor culture assay showed that the numbers of EPO-dependent BFU-E in BM did not differ significantly among groups. The PB BFU-E were significantly higher in PV than in SP or PE, and no statistical differences were found among patients with SP, PE and RP. There was a correlation between BM BFU-E and PB BFU-E in the individual PV and PE patients. EECs were present in all BM and PB cultures of untreated and phlebotomy-treated PV and PE-PV patients, but were absent in 6 of 17 PV patients who had received cytotoxic therapy. EECs were not found in SP, PE and RP. PB could substitute for BM in the EEC or the BFU-E assay. Both pretreatment and post-treatment serum EPO levels of PV and PE-PV were similar, which were significantly lower than SP, PE or RP. The serum EPO levels in treated PV or PE-PV patients who had normal haematocrit values were not significantly different from those in untreated patients. In contrast, the phlebotomy-treated PE patients had significantly higher serum EPO values than untreated PE patients. In the differentiation between PV and PE, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of post-treatment serum EPO levels at a cut-off level of 9 U L−1 were 74%, 92%, 97% and 52% respectively. The discriminative power of post-phlebotomy serum EPO levels was even higher with a positive predictive value of 80% and negative predictive value of 92% for the prediction of PV evolution in patients with pure erythrocytosis of unknown origin. Conclusion The present study showed that apart from EEC assay, the post-phlebotomy serum EPO level was a sensitive and specific parameter in the differential diagnosis of polycythaemia, in particular for the identification of PV among patients with unclassifiable polycythaemia.

"PVP storage disease" is a disorder occurring in patients who have received high molecular weight polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), which cannot be excreted from the body. These large polymers deposit in the histiocytes and cause proliferation and infiltration of histiocytes in the reticuloendothelial system. There was usually no significant damage to these organs except that prolonged administration might cause bone destruction, skin lesions, arthritis, and polyneuropathy. We describe a patient who had received a large amount of PVP-containing solution for years. Severe bone marrow failure with extensive infiltration of bone marrow by foamy histiocytes occurred later. In addition, she suffered from multiple pathological fractures with spinal cord compression and arthritis of bilateral knee joints.

Background and Purpose: The molecular pathogenesis of progression of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) to secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML) remains incompletely understood. We studied genemutations involving spliceosome in the transformation of MDS to sAML by comparing matched paired MDS/sAML bone marrow samples to determine the roles of SRSF2, U2AF1 SF3B1, and ZRSR2 mutations in the evolution of MDS to sAML. Patients and Methods: One hundred and forty-nine de novo MDS patients (2 RCUD, 5 RARS, 27 RCMD, 52 RAEB-1, and 63 RAEB-2) were examined forspliceosome mutations at initial diagnosis and 93 patients progressed to sAML with a median follow-up of 16.4 months. Seventy one of them had paired MDS/sAML bone marrow samples available for comparative analyses. Mutational analyses of spliceosome were performed by pyrosequencing with a detection sensitivity of 5% for U2AF1 (exons 2 and 6) and SRSF2 (P95 of exon 1) mutations and by direct sequencing for SF3B1 (exons13-16) and ZRSR2 (whole coding exons 1-11) mutations. Additional 29 gene mutations known to involve in myeloid neoplasms were also analyzed by direct sequencing or next-generation sequencing (NGS, Ion Torrent PGM) followed by Sanger sequencing validation; NGS was mainly used for mutation detection of epigenetic regulators and cohesin complex. The allele burden of targeted genes was determined by pyrosequencing and/or NGS. Results: The frequencies of U2AF1, SRSF2, SF3B1, and ZRSR2 mutations in the 149 MDS patients were 14.8% (22/149), 12.8% (19/149), 12.1% (17/141), and 7.5% (10/133), respectively. Together, spliceosome mutations occurred in 51.5% of MDS patients at initial diagnosis and were mutually exclusive. All the 5 RARS patients had SF3B1 mutations. Co-existed mutations with epigenetic regulators were detected in 36 patients (52.9%), with RUNX1 in 13 (19.1%), with cohesin complex including STAG2, SMC3, RAD21,or SMC1A, in 13 (19.1%), with signaling pathways including RAS, PTPN11, JAK2, or FLT3-TKD in 4 (5.9%), BCOR in 2, and one each with CEBPa and SETBP1. There were no differences in blood counts, percentage of blasts in bone marrow and blood, WHO subtype, cytogenetic risk group, and IPSS-R between spliceosome-mutated and -unmutated patients. Of the patients carrying spliceosome mutations, only SRSF2 mutation had prognostic impact on predicting a higher risk of sAML transformation (P = 0.025) and sAML-free survival (median 10.8 months, 95% CI 5.1-16.5 months) compared to SRSF2-unmutated patients (median 17 months, 95% CI 8.5-25.5 months, P = 0.050). Of the 71 paired MDS/sAML samples, 37 (52.1%) had spliceosome mutations at diagnosis; the mutational status and patterns remained unchanged in all the 37 matched sAML samples but allele burden was apparently increased in the sAML samples with SRSF2 (P = 0.017) or SF3B1 (P = 0.015) mutations. In addition, one ZRSR2 mutant clone and two SRSF2 mutant clones evolved during sAML progression. Acquisition of other mutated genes was found in 37 spliceosome-mutated patients at sAML phases, including RUNX1 in 5, N-RAS in 5, CEBPa in 4, K-RAS in 3, FLT3-ITD in 3, and one each with ASXL1, TET2, STAG2, WT1, PTPN11, CBL, FLT3-TKD, and C-FMS. Notably, of the 3 patients acquiring spliceosome mutations, none gained other mutated genes during sAML transformation.Clonal expansion of other mutated genes were observed in 4 cases with RUNX1, in 2 with TET2, and one each with N-RAS, CEBPa, ASXL1, SMC1A, and STAG2. Conclusions: Our results showed that spliceosome mutations occurred in more than half of de novo MDS patients at initial diagnosis. Clonal expansion, evolution, or unchanged allele burden of spliceosome mutations might occur during sAML transformation with frequent acquisition of additional mutated genes. SRSF2 mutation predicted a higher risk and more rapid sAML transformation. (Grants support: NHRI-EX103-10003NI, MOHW103-TD-B-111-09 and CMRPG3D1532) Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

A 59-year-old man presented with lymphocytosis with huge splenomegaly. The abnormal lymphocytes had a high nucleoplasmxytoplasm ratio, a prominent nucleolus and hairy cytoplasmic projections. Immunophenotyping revealed B-cell leukemia with negative reactions to CD5 and CD25. Cytogenetic study showed 46, XY, der(5)t(5;6)(q35;p21), del(7)(p13)/ 46, idem, add(22)(q13). The patient did not respond to chlorambucil and a combination of cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisolone. Splenic irradiation induced partial remission. He developed progressive anemia and thrombocytopenia and died of Escherichia coli septicemia 33 months after the diagnosis of hairy cell leukemia variant.

Patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) have an increased risk for thrombosis and bleeding and show a defect in adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet aggregation. This risk of thrombosis is further increased in MPN patients bearing the JAK2V617F mutation. Two ADP receptors, P2Y1 and P2Y12, are present on platelets. Although the pattern of defective ADP-induced platelet aggregation in MPN suggests an abnormality in the P2Y12 pathway, no previous studies have specifically evaluated P2Y12 function in MPN or the relationship between P2Y12 function and the JAK2V617F mutation.Forty-one MPN patients were enrolled, including 24 with essential thrombocythemia (ET), 16 with polycythemia vera (PV) and 1 with primary myelofibrosis. Platelet P2Y12 function in MPN was evaluated by flow-cytometric measurement of the phosphorylation of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP). Clinical data were collected by review of medical records. JAK2V617F mutation was detected by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction. JAK2V617F allele burden was measured by the pyrosequencing method.In patients with MPN, platelet P2Y12 function determined by VASP platelet reactivity index (PRI) was inversely correlated with platelet and white blood cell (WBC) counts. In subgroup analysis, PRI was inversely correlated with platelet and WBC counts in PV. PRI was also inversely correlated with platelet counts in ET, but the correlation of PRI and WBC counts did not reach statistical significance. Eight of the 41 patients had a history of thrombosis and only 2 had a bleeding history. Neither thrombosis nor bleeding patients were found to have significantly different PRIs. JAK2V617F mutation data were available in 35 cases. PRI was not different between JAK2V617F mutation and wild-type patients but PRI had a trend towards an inverse correlation with JAK2V617F allele burden for patients with mutations.The present study provides the first explicit demonstration of a defect in the P2Y12 pathway in platelets of patients with MPN. Furthermore, platelet P2Y12 function, assayed by VASP, is inversely correlated with platelet and WBC counts in patients with MPN. Platelet P2Y12 function also appears to be inversely correlated with JAK2V617F allele burden. This compromised P2Y12 function may be a novel mechanism for the bleeding tendency associated with extreme thrombocytosis in MPN.

Computed tomography (CT) as a routine follow-up has been a standard practice for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma although it is not recommended in most guidelines. We aimed to describe the value of surveillance CT in detection of disease relapse in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma grade 3 (FL3) and to evaluate whether relapse detected by different methods influenced outcome. In this retrospective review of consecutive 341 patients with DLBCL or FL3 diagnosed between 2003 and 2009 in complete response (CR) or unconfirmed CR, 113 patients experienced relapses. We found that routine surveillance CT detected asymptomatic relapse in 25 patients (22.1 %; group 1), including 22 of 100 patients with DLBCL and three of 13 with FL3. The first presentation of relapse of the other 88 patients (group 2) included patient-reported symptoms (60.2 %), physical examination (13.3 %), or abnormal laboratory data (4.4 %). For 72 patients received chemotherapy after relapse, the overall survival after relapse was not different between groups 1 and 2 (p = 0.569). The results of our study suggested that routine surveillance CT only has a limited role in the early detection of relapse and the relapse detected by surveillance CT or not has no impact on survival after relapse for patients with DLBCL or FL3.

Bleeding is the leading cause of death for patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). Blood component transfusion to correct coagulopathy is the keystone in reducing bleeding. The benefit of fresh frozen plasma transfusion is unproven. Using laboratory profiles to predict bleeding is important guidance for the determination of transfusion policies in the treatment of APL.For 116 patients of APL, bleeding events were collected and correlated with various hematologic and coagulation parameters, including leukemic cell percentages, white blood cell (WBC) and platelet counts, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen levels, and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) scores.Overt DIC occurred in 77.6% of patients. Severity of DIC was associated with bone marrow leukemic cell percentages but unrelated to bleeding. Patients with bleeding had significantly higher WBC counts (26.73 ± 6.18 vs. 13.03 ± 3.03 per μL, P = 0.026) and more prolonged PT (4.85 ± 0.70 vs. 2.59 ± 0.28 s, P = 0.002) and APTT (3.98 ± 1.68 vs. 0.96 ± 0.93 s, P = 0.017). Fibrinogen levels, platelet counts, and leukemia cell percentages were not significantly different between bleeding and non-bleeding patients. PT is valuable in prediction of bleeding. Patients with PT ≧ 5 s had a relative risk of 6.14 for bleeding. Seven patients had severe bleeding before initiation of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA).Patients with APL are susceptible to DIC and subsequent bleeding events. Prompt ATRA administration is crucial in preventing hemorrhagic events. High WBC counts, prolonged PT, and APTT are associated with clinical bleeding in our series. PT is the most accurate parameter in predicting bleeding. Based on these findings, supportive care should be directed toward correction of coagulopathy to prevent bleeding complications and fresh frozen plasma appears to be indicated for coagulopathy associated with APL.

Diffuse large cell lymphoma involving bone marrow is not uncommon, but primary, de novo, bone marrow diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is rare. To understand the clinical features and outcomes of this distinct entity, we collected 12 cases in 5 years from a single-center database. They accounted for 1.16% of lymphoma, or 2.65% of diffuse large B cell lymphoma. Nine cases presented with fever of unknown origin. Lactate dehydrogenase levels were elevated in all but one case. Nine cases belonged to the high-risk group according to their international prognosis indexes (score 4 or 5). Four patients received no chemotherapy, all of whom died within 1 month. Four patients received cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine, and prednisolone (CHOP)-like chemotherapy, and their median survival was 13 months. Finally, four patients received rituximab 375 mg/m(2) in addition to CHOP-like chemotherapy. All of them had complete remission and three are still alive without relapse. We concluded that primary bone marrow DLBCL is a rare but distinctive subtype of lymphoma. The prognosis for this entity is poor but rituximab-based treatment is promising for improving its outcomes.

The clinico-pathologic features of 107 adult Chinese patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (excluding primary cutaneous lymphoma) are described and a comparison between HTLVI+ and HTLV-I- patients is made. There were 27 HTLV-I+ and 80 HTLV-I- patients. The virus-positive and -negative groups both had a male predominance and an identical median age of 48. Most patients in both groups presented with stage-IV disease, B symptoms, lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomegaly. The HTLV-I+ group had a significantly higher incidence of skin and pulmonary lesions, bone marrow and peripheral blood involvement, hypercalcemia, and elevated LDH level compared to the HTLV-I- group. Sinonasal lesions (10), mediastinal mass (5), and GI tract involvement (6) were only seen in the HTLV-I- group. Leukocytosis with the presence of circulating pleomorphic lymphoid cells was characteristic of HTLV-I+ cases, while cytopenia was more frequently present in HTLV-I- cases. All of the 24 HTLV-I+ patients tested were CD4+CD8-; of the 67 HTLV-I- patients tested, 46 were CD4+CD8-, 9 were CD4-CD8 , 5 were CD4-CD8- and 7 were CD4+CD8+. Phenotypic studies revealed significant differences in the expression of CD7 and CD25 between virus-positive and -negative groups. Both groups responded poorly to therapy. The median survival of HTLVI+ and HTLV-I- patients was 4 months and 13.5 months, respectively. Apart from the presence of more than 3 extranodal lesions, none of the other clinical features or histologic subtypes had prognostic significance in the entire group or either of the subgroups. This series of peripheral T-cell lymphomas in Taiwan indicate that HTLV-I+ and HTLV-I- patients had many features in common, but presented several distinct differences.

Retinoic acid syndrome (RAS) is a potentially lethal complication during all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). The incidence and risk factors have been shown to vary in different series. In this study we want to establish the incidence of RAS in our hospital and try to elucidate factors that increase its risk.We retrospectively analyzed 102 patients diagnosed with APL between August 1993 and December 2007 at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan. All patients received ATRA as an induction regimen with or without conventional chemotherapy.Eight of the 102 patients (7.8%) experienced RAS which developed after a median of 9 days (range: 2 to 23 days) of ATRA treatment. Respiratory distress and fever were the most common presentations, occurring in 7 of 8 patients (87.5%). Age, gender, morphological or molecular subtypes, an initial white blood cell (WBC) count of more than 10 x 10(9)/L and concurrent chemotherapy did not statistically attribute to the occurrence of RAS. One patient developed RAS manifesting with pulmonary hemorrhage but experienced a complete recovery after administration of high-dose dexamethasone. The RAS-related mortality was 12.5% (1 out of 8 patients).The incidence of RAS in this study was similar to those of other series with ATRA and concurrent chemotherapy. Age, gender, morphological or molecular subtypes, an initial leukocyte count of more than 10 x 10(9)/L or the presence of concurrent chemotherapy is not significantly associated with the occurrence of the RAS.

Summary Twenty-five Chinese patients with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) associated adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma (ATLL) were identified in Taiwan. No patients had been outside Taiwan and none were descendants of Japanese heritage. Their ages ranged from 28 to 71 years. There were 17 men and eight women. Main clinical and laboratory features at presentation were lymphadenopathy (16), skin lesions (11), hepatosplenomegaly (11), pulmonary lesions (11), hypercalcaemia (10) and bone marrow infiltration (14). Peripheral blood was characterized by leucocytosis with presence of pleomorphic abnormal lymphocytes but rare anaemia or thrombocytopenia. The clinical subtypes were acute in 15, chronic in three, smouldering in one, and lymphoma type in six. The immunopheno-types of the ATLL cells were characterized by the expression of CD2+, CD4+, CD7-, CD8- and CD25+. The overall prognosis was poor with a median survival of 5 months. The acute form had a significantly shorter survival (2 months) than lymphoma type (13 months). Susceptibility to various infections was common. Pulmonary complications accounted for 73% of the causes of death. The clinicopathologic features of ATLL in Taiwan are indistinguishable from those in HTLV-I endemic areas. The present series adds to the knowledge of the worldwide pattern of the disease.

The optimal treatment of primary gastric large-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (PGL) has not been defined. Recent studies have suggested that organ-preserving treatment produces the same results as surgical treatment.We retrospectively reviewed the data of 88 patients diagnosed with PGL between 1995 and 2003 at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Sixty-two patients received chemotherapy (CT), three received CT followed by radiotherapy (CT+RT), three received surgery (ST), 14 received surgery followed by CT (ST+ adjuvant CT), one patient received ST followed by radiotherapy (ST+RT), one patient received radiotherapy (RT) alone, one received eradication therapy for Helicobacter pylori only and 3 patients received no further therapy after diagnosis.Of the 81 patients who received endoscopic biopsy of gastric lesions, the diagnosis of PGL could be made in all but one. Seven patients were diagnosed by pathology after ST without preoperative pathologic diagnosis. The complete remission rate was 77.3%. The 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were 50.0% and 81.6%, respectively. There was no difference in OS (p = 0.4051) and DFS (p = 0.8519) between patients receiving mainly CT (CT or CT+RT) and those receiving primary surgery (ST, ST+ adjuvant CT or ST+RT). We found that poor performance status (p0.0001), elevated beta2-microglobulin level (p = 0.0082) and no CT (p = 0.0002) had adverse effects on OS.The present data show that CT should be the primary treatment for patients with PGL if the diagnosis can be made with endoscopic biopsy.

Background and purpose: The clinical features and molecular markers of primary myelofibrosis (PMF) in Asian population have rarely been reported. We examined the clinical relevance of molecular markers in a large cohort of PMF patients in Taiwan. Methods: Bone marrow or blood samples at initial diagnosis from 145 patients consecutively diagnosed with PMF based on WHO criteria in Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Linkou, Taiwan, were examined. EEC assay was performed in a serum free culture system. PRV-1 mRNA expression in granulocytes was measured by real-time RQ-PCR TaqMan assay. Pyrosequencing was used to detect JAK2 V617Fand its allele burden as well as 46/1 rs12343867 genotype in granulocytes. Mutational analysis of MPL (exon 10) was performed by PCR assay followed by direct sequencing. CALR (exon 9) mutations were screened by GeneScan analysis followed by sequencing for those with length changes. Ten of 20 patients progressed to secondary AML (sAML) had matched paired diagnosis and sAML samples available for comparative analysis. Results: Of the 145 patients with PMF, the median age was 64 years, 76 were male, IPSS low risk 25, Int I 23, Int II 41, and high risk 56 patients. In a median follow-up of 35.8 months (range 1.1 to 275.5 months), 20 patients progressed to sAML, 88 patients died with a median overall survival (OS) of 67.4 months. JAK2 V617F was detected in 52% (74/143) patients, CALR mutations in 30% (41/135) (type1 n=29; type 2 n=5; and others n=7), MPL mutations in 4% (5/141) (n=2/2/1 for W515L/K/A), and 11.0% of PMF patients were triple-negative. The incidence of 46/1 haplotype in 112 patients analyzed was TT 32 %, CT 36 %, and CC 32 %; C-allele frequency was significantly higher in PMF compared with 50 normal subjects (50% vs. 24%; P< 0.0001).EEC growth was detected in 48.9% (45/92) of patients examined. PRV-1 over-expression was present in 40% (28/70) of patients. Of the 10 matched paired PMF/sAML samples, 6 patients had CALR mutations with similar allele burden at both phases of disease whereas sAML evolved from a non-JAK2 V617F clone in one of the 3 patients carrying JAK2 V617F at diagnosis. Patients with EEC growth or PRV-1 over-expression were significantly associated with younger age, higher WBC and platelet counts. EEC-positive patients had higher Hb level and lower circulating blasts. JAK2 V617F was closely associated with higher WBC and platelet counts whereas patients with CALR mutations had lower WBC counts. None of these molecular markers had a correlation with constitutional symptom, IPSS, occurrence of thrombosis or risk of sAML transformation. EEC growth conferred a favorable leukemia-free survival (LFS) (P =0.019) and OS (P =0.013) compared with those without EEC. PRV-1 over-expression was associated with better OS (P =0.036). JAK2 V617F and MPL mutations did not influence LFS and OS. Allele burden of JAK2 V617F had no impact on outcomes. CALR mutations were associated with a favorable OS compared with mutation-negative patients (P =0.034). There were no difference in outcomes between type 1 and type 2 mutations of CALR. Patients with triple-negative mutations had a significantly inferior OS (P =0.020). CT genotype (46/1) was associated with shorter LFS (P =0.026). EEC growth was strongly associated with PRV-1 over-expression and JAK2 V617F mutation, whereas EEC formation and CALR mutations were mutually exclusive. In multivariate analysis, EEC growth was the most important predictor for LFS (HR 0.058; 95% CI: 0.005-0.676, P =0.023) and OS (HR 0.21; 95% CI 0.076-0.581, P =0.003) among the molecular markers; CALR mutations also held favorable OS (HR 0.245; 95% CI 0.085-0.709, P =0.009). Conclusions: Approximately 90% of PMF patients in Taiwan had JAK2 V617F, CALR, or MPL mutations, half were associated with C-allele genotype, 78% had EEC growth and /or PRV-1 over-expression. EEC growth was the most important independent factor for predicting better outcomes and CALR mutations also conferred a favorable OS. (Grant support: NSC96-2314-B-182-003, CMRPG330303, OMRPG3C0021, and MOHW103-TD-B-111-09) Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

214 U2AF1 mutation in de novo myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and its genetic evolution profile of secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML): a comparative analysis of 68 paired matched samples Che-Wei Ou, Ming-Chung Kuo, Tung-Huei Lin, Yu-Shu Shih, Po Dunn, Tung-Liang Lin, Po-Nan Wang, Jin-Hou Wu, Chen-Yu Lai, Der-Cherng Liang and Lee-Yung Shih Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University and Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taiwan Objectives: We aimed to investigate (1) the clinical relevance of U2AF1 gene mutation and its co-existing mutations in MDS, and (2) the genetic evolution profile of co-existing mutations in sAML transformation from MDS. Materials and Methods: Mutational analysis of U2AF1 (exons 2 and 6) was performed in 68 paired MDS/sAML bone marrow samples and in non-paired diagnosis samples in another 80 cases with de novo MDS. Additional 24 mutated genes were also analyzed at both MDS and sAML phases in U2AF1-mutated patients by using PCR-based assays followed by direct sequencing. The allelic burden of mutated genes was measured by pyrosequencing. Results: Twenty of 148 MDS patients (13.6%) had U2AF1 mutations (12 Ser34Phe, 3 Ser34Tyr, and 5 Gln157Pro). Co-existing mutations of U2AF1 with epigenetic regulators occurred in 10 patients (4 ASXL, two each for DNMT3A, TET2, and EZH2). U2AF1 mutation was significantly associated with younger age (P=0.032). There was no correlation between U2AF1 mutation status and gender, blood counts, cytogenetics, or IPSS-R risk groups whereas RAEB-2 was associated with a lower frequency of U2AF1 mutation (P=0.049). U2AF1 mutation had no impact on risk of sAML transformation (P=0.807), sAML-free survival (P=0.998) or overall survival (P=0.516). Of the 68 paired MDS/sAML samples, 12 had U2AF1 mutations at both phases and none acquired or lost U2AF1 mutation during sAML progression. There was no difference in the U2AF1 mutant allelic burden between MDS and sAML phases (P=0.165). In the 6 patients also carrying epigenetic regulator mutations, the mutation status and mutant levels remained stable in both MDS/sAML phases. In U2AF1-mutated patients, progression to sAML was accompanied by evolution of new mutant clones (2 RUNX1 and one each for PTPN11 and CBL) or clonal expansion of a pre-existing subclones (one each for NRAS and RUNX1). Conclusions: Our results showed that mutations of epigenetic regulators occurred in half of U2AF1-mutated patients. The two mutations remained no changes in sAML transformation whereas acquisition of additional genetic alterations or expansion of small pre-existing subclones was detected in a subset of U2AF1-mutated patients. Grant support: NHRI-EX103-10003NI, DOH-102-TD-C-111-006, MMHE-101-09 and OMRPG3C0021, Taiwan.

The fusion transcripts of MLL rearrangement [MLL(+)] in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and their clinicohematologic correlation have not be well characterized in the previous studies. We used Southern blot analysis to screen MLL(+) in de novo AML. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the common MLL fusion transcripts. cDNA panhandle PCR was used to identify infrequent or unknown MLL partner genes. MLL(+) was identified in 114 (98 adults) of 988 AML patients. MLL fusion transcripts comprised of 63 partial tandem duplication of MLL (MLL-PTD), 14 MLL-AF9, 9 MLL-AF10, 9 MLL-ELL, 8 MLL-AF6, 4 MLL-ENL and one each of MLL-AF1, MLL-AF4, MLL-MSF, MLL-LCX, MLL-LARG, MLL-SEPT6 and MLL-CBL. The frequency of MLL-PTD was 7.1% in adults and 0.9% in children (P

We analyzed Asp(835) mutations of FLT3 on paired marrow samples at diagnosis and relapse from 120 adult patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) to determine the role of FLT3 Asp(835) mutation in the relapse of AML.Asp(835) mutation was analyzed by DNA PCR amplification of exon 20 of FLT3 gene followed by EcoRV digestion. All of the mutations were confirmed by sequence analysis. Mutant to wild-type allelic ratio was determined by Genescan analysis. The Expand Long Template PCR System was used to determine the allelic location of internal tandem duplication of FLT3 (FLT3/ITD) and Asp(835) mutations.Thirteen patients had Asp(835) mutations at diagnosis, of them 8 lost the mutations at relapse, and the remaining 5 patients carrying Asp(835) mutations at diagnosis relapsed with the identical mutation types. Another 6 patients acquired Asp(835) mutations at relapse. Five samples harbored both FLT3/ITD and Asp(835) mutations that were found on different alleles by cloning analysis in the 3 patients studied. There were no differences in WBC count, French-American-British subtype, percentage of marrow blasts, or circulating blasts between patients with and without Asp(835) mutations, whereas the difference in the prevalence of Asp(835) mutations among cytogenetic/molecular subgroups was statistically significant (P = 0.025).The present study showed that patients with AML had heterogeneous patterns of FLT3 Asp(835) mutations, either acquisition or loss of the mutations at relapse. Asp(835) mutant clone may develop as a secondary event in a subset of patients with AML.

The role of internal tandem duplication of fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3/ITD), mutations at tyrosine kinase domain (FLT3/TKD) and N-ras mutations in the transformation of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) to AML was investigated in 82 MDS patients who later progressed to AML; 70 of them had paired marrow samples at diagnosis of MDS and AML available for comparative analysis. Five of the 82 patients had FLT3/ITD at presentation. Of the 70 paired samples, seven patients acquired FLT3/ITD during AML evolution. The incidence of FLT3/ITD at diagnosis of MDS was significantly lower than that at AML transformation (3/70 vs 10/70, P0.001). FLT3/ITD(+) patients progressed to AML more rapidly than FLT3/ITD(-) patients (2.5+/-0.5 vs 11.9+/-1.5 months, P=0.114). FLT3/ITD(+) patients had a significantly shorter survival than FLT3/ITD(-) patients (5.6+/-1.3 vs 18.0+/-1.7 months, P=0.0008). After AML transformation, FLT3/ITD was also associated with an adverse prognosis. One patient had FLT3/TKD mutation (D835Y) at both MDS and AML stages. Additional three acquired FLT3/TKD (one each with D835 H, D835F and I836S) at AML transformation. Five of the 70 matched samples had N-ras mutation at diagnosis of MDS compared to 15 at AML transformation (P0.001), one lost and 11 gained N-ras mutations at AML progression. Coexistence of FLT3/TKD and N-ras mutations was found in two AML samples. N-ras mutations had no prognostic impact either at the MDS or AML stage. Our results show that one-third of MDS patients acquire activating mutations of FLT3 or N-ras gene during AML evolution and FLT3/ITD predicts a poor outcome in MDS.

The clinical relevance of mutations of the FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) gene in specific cytogenetic subgroups is not clear. The authors examined internal tandem duplication (ITD) and Asp835 mutations of FLT3 in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) to determine the incidence of these mutations and to analyze the results for correlations with clinicohematologic features and outcome.Bone marrow samples from 107 patients with APL were analyzed. Isoforms of PML-RAR alpha were identified using a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay. A standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was used to detect FLT3/ITD mutations. Asp835 mutations were analyzed by PCR amplification of exon 20 followed by EcoRV digestion. All aberrant PCR products subsequently were sequenced.Twenty-two patients had FLT3/ITD mutations: 9 of 63 patients with L-type PML/RAR alpha, 13 of 34 patients with S-type PML/RAR alpha, and 0 of 10 patients with V-type PML/RAR alpha (P = 0.005). The incidence of FLT3/ITD mutations was significantly higher in patients with S-type PML/RAR alpha than in patients with L-type PML/RAR alpha or V-type PML/RAR alpha. Twenty patients had Asp835 mutations (L-type PML/RAR alpha: n = 11; S-type PML/RAR alpha: n = 8; V-type PML/RAR alpha: n = 1). The frequency of Asp835 mutations was not significantly different among patients with different PML/RAR alpha isoforms (P = 0.582). Three patients had both ITD and Asp835 mutations. The microgranular variant (M3v) form of leukemia was found to be associated with a higher frequency of ITD (P = 0.002) but not with a higher frequency of Asp835 mutations (P = 1.000); analysis of clinicohematologic variables revealed no significant differences in FLT3 mutation incidence among other patient subgroups. There was no significant difference in complete remission rate, overall survival, or event-free survival between patients with ITDs and those without ITDs or between patients with Asp835 mutations and those without Asp835 mutations.The current study found that ITD or Asp835 mutations of the FLT3 gene were present in 36.4% of patients with APL; however, these mutations had no prognostic impact. FLT3/ITD frequently was associated with S-type PML/RAR alpha and with the M3v form of leukemia.

Erythema nodosum associated with all- trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is very rare. We describe four patients with classic APL who developed erythema nodosum during ATRA therapy. Fever and subsequent multiple painful erythematous nodules over extremities developed on D11, D16, D17, and D19, respectively, after ATRA therapy. The skin biopsy taken from each patient was consistent with erythema nodosum. All patients received short course of steroids. Fever subsided rapidly and the skin lesions regressed completely. All patients achieved complete remission without withdrawal of ATRA. ATRA seemed to be the most possible etiology of erythema nodosum in our patients. Short-term use of steroid is very effective in ATRA-induced erythema nodosum.

Microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (MAHA) is a late but fatal complication in advanced cancers (cancer-associated). It may also appear in complete remission after chemotherapy (chemotherapy-related). Mucin-producing adenocarcinoma has been extensively studied in relation to this phenomenon. Squamous cell carcinoma with MAHA, on the other hand, has not often been reported in the English literature. Because of the difficulty of case collection, understanding of the association of MAHA and anal squamous cell carcinoma remains vague. We present a 60-year-old woman with anal cancer and liver metastasis. This patient received chemotherapy (mitomycin C, 5-fluoruracil, and cisplatin) and reached a good partial response. MAHA developed 2 months later, and tumor recurrence with rapid deterioration appeared 5 months later. The patient died 5 months after MAHA was diagnosed. We consider that the MAHA in this patient is chemotherapy-related. However, the possibility of cancer-associated MAHA could not be excluded.

Analysis of internal tandem duplications of FLT3(FLT3/ITD) was performed on bone marrow samples obtained at diagnosis and relapse from 108 adult patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) to determine the role of this mutation in leukemic relapse. Eighty-three patients had wild-type FLT3at both diagnosis and relapse, 16 had FLT3/ITD at both stages, whereas 8 had acquired the mutation and 1 had lost it at relapse. Using Genescan analysis, we found that FLT3/ITD levels at first relapse were significantly higher than those at diagnosis (mean ± SE, 40.5% ± 4.8% versus 17.9% ± 3.6%,P

Essential thrombocythemia (ET) is a heterogeneous disorder in which the clonality of hematopoiesis varies. The clinical significance of clonality status in ET remains to be determined. We used the human androgen receptor gene (HUMARA)–polymerase chain reaction assay to investigate X-chromosome inactivation patterns (XCIPs) and their value in predicting vascular complications in 89 female patients with ET. Fifty-four (68.4%) patients had a clonal pattern of XCIP, and 15 (19.0%) had a polyclonal pattern. The remaining 20 patients had either an ambiguous or a homozygous pattern of XCIP and were therefore excluded from further analysis. Patients with clonal XCIPs were older (P = .029) and were at greater risk for thrombosis (P = .007) than were those with polyclonal XCIPs. We did not find a correlation between the occurrence of hemorrhage and XCIP (P = .492). Advanced age was predictive of thrombosis and hemorrhage. Platelet count did not influence the risk for vascular complications. Hypertension was significantly correlated with thrombotic events (P = .002), whereas diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolemia were of no predictive value. In a multivariate analysis, age was the significant predictor of thrombosis (P = .030); however, XCIPs (P = .083) and hypertension (P = .073) tended to predict thrombosis. Our results suggest that older patients who have clonal XCIPs or hypertension are at increased risk for thrombosis and should be monitored closely for this complication.

Background and purpose: Chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) may transform into secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML). The genetic evolution pattern is important in understanding the pathogenesis of sAML transformation. We aimed to determine the profile of genetic evolution by examining a cohort of paired samples collected at both MPN and sAML phases using a panel of commonly mutated genes involved in myeloid neoplasms. Methods: Mutational analyses of 14 genes (JAK2V617F, CALR, ASXL1, IDH1, IDH2, TET2, DNMT3A, EZH2, KRAS, RUNX1, TP53, WT1, CBL, and SRSF2) were performed on the paired matched samples at diagnosis and at sAML transformation from 22 patients with MPN (6 polycythemia vera, 5 essential thrombocythemia, and 11 primary myelofibrosis). The samples were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assays followed by direct sequencing. For CALRmutational analysis, the PCR products of exon 9 were analyzed by GeneScan for screening deletions and insertions, then validated by Sanger sequencing. The allele frequencies of all mutated genes were determined by pyrosequencing assays in samples harboring any detectable mutations. Results: At the MPN phase, JAK2V617F was the most common mutation (N=12), followed by CALR (N=9). At sAML phase, JAK2V617F was not detected in 4 patients who had JAK2V617F at initial diagnosis while all 9 patients retained CALR mutations. Mutations of epigenetic modifier genes were detected in 13 patients (59%) at MPN phase, including TET2 (N=5), EZH2 (N=4), ASXL1 (N=2), DNMT3A (N=2), IDH1 and IDH2 (N=1 for each). One MPN sample was also found carrying RUNX1 mutation. Acquisition of 12 mutations was found in 11 patients at the sAML phase, including RUNX1 (N=4), KRAS (N=3), IDH2 (N=2), and one each of CBL, ASXL1 and TP53. Except JAK2V617F and TET2 mutations, the mutations present in the MPN phase remained detectable at sAML transformation. The allele frequencies of IDH2 and EZH2 mutant clones were apparently increased at sAML phase. Of note, two patients had double TET2 mutations at the MPN phase, clonal selection of TET2 mutants was explicitly demonstrated in both cases, with disappearance of one clone and expansion of the other during sAML transformation. The median time from MPN to sAML was 71.6 months and the median overall survival was 73.2 months for the cohort of MPN patients who had sAML transformation later on. Female patients had a trend towards lower incidence of CALR mutation (2/11 vs. 7/11, P=0.08) and significantly shorter overall survival (43.3 vs. 129.2 months, P Conclusions: Our results showed that in addition to JAK2V617F and CALR mutations, mutations of epigenetic modifiers were present in more than half of MPN patients at diagnosis who later on had a sAML transformation. During sAML transformation, non-JAK2V617F clone evolved in one third of patients and acquisition of RUNX1, KRAS and IDH2 mutations recurrently emerged. Clonal selection and expansion of TET2 mutations might play a vital role in leukemogenesis of MPN. Grant support: NSC96-2314-B-182-003, CMRPG330303, OMRPG3C0021 and DOH102-TD-C-111-006 Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Analysis of X-chromosome inactivation patterns (XCIPs) is a useful tool in the diagnosis of clonal disorders. The human androgen receptor (HUMARA) locus is especially useful for clonality study. The present study was conducted 1) to determine the heterozygosity rate for HUMARA locus in Taiwanese women, 2) to determine the frequency of excessive skewing in different cell types, and 3) to determine the utility of XCIPs in the differential diagnosis of thrombocytosis.XCIPs by HUMARA-PCR assay were performed on purified granulocytes and T cells from 73 female patients presenting with idiopathic persistent thrombocytosis (IT), 10 patients with reactive thrombocytosis (RT), and 46 bone marrow samples from female controls. XCIPs of buccal mucosa cells were also compared with those of T cells in 57 patients with IT. The percentage of clonal granulocytes was calculated after correcting for the degree of Lyonization in T cells.The heterozygosity rate for the HUMARA gene was 89.1% in Taiwanese females. The median age of informative IT patients and controls was 59 (18-92) and 58 (19-89), respectively. Excessive skewing (allele ratio0.33) was more frequent in granulocytes than in T cells in both controls (12/43 vs 9/43, p = 0.080) and IT patients (56/64 vs 25/64, p0.001). XCIPs were the same for both buccal mucosa and T cells in 43 patients but were different in 14 patients. Of the 43 informative controls, 31 had a polyclonal pattern; an ambiguous pattern was found in nine; and the remaining three, aged 71, 73, and 80, respectively, had a clonal pattern. A clonal pattern was found in 42 IT patients, a polyclonal pattern in 12, and an ambiguous pattern in 10 of the 64 IT patients. The frequency of clonal, polyclonal, and ambiguous patterns in the 40 IT patients with ageor = 65 was 55.0%, 30.0%, and 15.0%, respectively. None of the IT patients aged65 had a polyclonal disease. IT patients aged65 had a significantly higher frequency of clonal pattern (p = 0.030) and a significantly lower frequency of polyclonal pattern (p = 0.002) than those with age65. Of the eight heterozygous patients with RT, one aged 80 exhibited a clonal pattern, and the remaining seven had a polyclonal pattern.The present study on Taiwanese females showed a heterozygosity rate of 89.1% for the HUMARA gene. Our results confirmed that IT is a heterogeneous disorder in terms of clonality. Twenty-three percent of IT patients exhibited a greater than 20% difference in allele expression for buccal mucosa and T cells. Presence of a clonal XCIP in young patients with IT can serve as a positive marker for the diagnosis of clonal thrombocytosis, and elderly patients with polyclonal XCIPs are unlikely to have essential thrombocythemia.

Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), formerly a plasma expander, has continued to be inappropriately used in Taiwan for intravenous injection as a "blood tonic." Five cases of PVP storage disease with cutaneous involvement were studied. Two patients presented with cutaneous eruptions mimicking collagen vascular disease and chronic pigmented purpuric dermatosis. Two other cases were found incidentally: one was with a metastatic tumor and the other in a pemphigus lesion. The fifth case was seen in a blind skin biopsy specimen taken to exclude Niemann-Pick disease after hematologic examination of a bone marrow smear. The latter patient and the patient with a collagen vascularlike disease also had severe anemia and serious orthopedic and neurologic complications due to massive infiltration of PVP-containing cells in the bone marrow with destruction of the bone. Severe irreversible anemia due to PVP storage disease has not been reported before. Three patients admitted having a history of receiving intravenous injection of PVP. The samples obtained from two of them indeed contained 5% PVP as determined by chemical analysis. PVP storage disease can be diagnosed by its histopathologic features. The skin biopsy specimens all showed a variable number of characteristic blue-gray vacuolated cells around blood vessels and adnexal structures with positive tinctorial reactions to mucicarmine, colloidal iron, and alkaline Congo red and negative to periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and alcian blue. The PVP storage cells were shown to be CD68+ macrophages. The presence of PVP in the skin induced little or no inflammatory reaction. Only the pelvic mass in one patient had a foreign body granuloma formation. Our study showed that systemic parenteral administration of PVP preparation could result in the accumulation of PVP storage cells in the skin, with or without clinical eruptions. The diagnosis of systemic PVP storage disease can be established by performing a skin biopsy for pathologic study. It is important for pathologists and clinicians to be aware of this iatrogenic storage disease to avoid misdiagnosis for hereditary storage disease, osteomyelitis, or signet-ring cell carcinoma. Serious hematologic and orthopedic complications can be caused by repeated massive intravenous injection of PVP. Therefore, PVP preparations should be strictly prohibited for systemic administration.

This report describes two cases of mycobacterial infection with pseudo-Gaucher cells. Both patients had no clinical evidence of inherited Gaucher disease. The first case was a patient with AIDS and Mycobacterium avium intracellulare involving the lung, spleen, and bone marrow. The bone marrow aspirates showed many histiocytes with needle-like inclusions. Acid fast staining showed that these histiocytes contained acid fast bacilli. Bone marrow biopsies revealed granulomatous lesions with aggregates of foamy histiocytes. The second case was an alcoholic patient with Mycobacteriumkanasassi infection involving the lung and lymph nodes. The lymph node aspirates showed infiltration of the same cells with acid fast bacilli in the cytoplasm.

Abstract 2846 Background: PRV-1 mRNA is overexpressed in most patients with polycythemia vera (PV) and a part of patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET). It is well known that PRV-1 expression levels correlate with JAK2 V617F mutation. While it was reported that JAK2 V617F clones can be significantly reduced or become undetectable by treatment with hydroxyurea (HU)[Girodon et al. Heamatologica 93:1723, 2008].The change of PRV-1 expression after treatment of myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) has been examined in only several small-scale studies with inconclusive results. Although PRV-1 overexpression is not included in the diagnostic criteria for MPN, it can be a potentially important biomarker in making diagnosis and predicting outcome. However, its clinical utility has not been fully investigated. Methods: From 1999 to 2011, 309 cases of PV and 451 cases of ET were registered in Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. The diagnosis was reclassified according to the 2008 WHO system. Among them, 203 cases of PV and 228 cases of ET were examined for PRV-1 overexpression and formed the basis of this study. Evolution from ET to PV during clinical follow-up (ET-PV) was observed in 41 patients and 16 of them have PRV-1 data available. Quantification of PRV-1 mRNA was performed by the real-time polymerase chain reaction with TaqMan assay on peripheral blood granulocytes. Data from fifty healthy donors served as normal controls. The results were compared between MPN subgroups (ET vs. PV vs. ET-PV) and correlated with JAK2 V617F allele burden, white blood cell counts, platelet counts and clinical thrombosis or bleeding events. PRV-1 mRNA expression levels of patients before and after HU treatment were compared. In addition, the pre-HU and post-HU data were analyzed in pairs to evaluate the impact of HU therapy on PRV-1 mRNA expression. Results: Levels of PRV-1 expression were significantly different between controls and ET ( P0.05) but significantly higher than ET patients (P Conclusions: PRV-1 expression level is a useful predictor of risk of thrombosis, highly correlated with JAK2 V617F mutant levels and may serve as a surrogate marker for classification and prognostication of MPN. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.