Immunophenotypic clustering in paediatric acute myeloid leukaemia

• Published in: British journal of haematology Vol. 204; no. 6; pp. 2275 - 2286
• Main Authors: Liu, Hui, Wu, Kefei, Hu, Wenting, Chen, Xiaoxiao, Tang, Yanjing, Ma, Yani, Chen, Changcheng, Xie, Yangyang, Yu, Lisha, Huang, Jun, Shen, Shuhong, Wang, Xiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.06.2024
• Subjects: Acute myeloid leukemia; Adolescent; Antigens; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Flow Cytometry; Genetic analysis; Genotypes; Humans; Immunophenotyping; Infant; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute - genetics; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute - pathology; Male; Patients; Pediatrics; Phenotypes; Prognosis; immunophenotypic clustering; morphological classification; molecular genetic abnormality; acute myeloid leukaemia; prognostic antigen
• ISSN: 0007-1048; 1365-2141
• DOI: 10.1111/bjh.19471

Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a highly heterogeneous disease, exhibiting diverse subtypes according to the characteristics of tumour cells. The immunophenotype is one of the aspects acquired routinely through flow cytometry in the diagnosis of AML. Here, we characterized the antigen expression in paediatric AML cases across both morphological and molecular genetic subgroups. We discovered a subgroup of patients with unfavourable prognosis that can be immunologically characterized, irrespective of morphological FAB results or genetic aberrations. Cox regression analysis unveiled key antigens influencing the prognosis of AML patients. In terms of underlying genotypes, we observed that the antigenic profiles and outcomes of one specific group, primarily composed of CBFA2T3::GLIS2 and FUS::ERG, were analogous to the reported RAM phenotype. Overall, our data highlight the significance of immunophenotype to tailor treatment for paediatric AML.