MDM2 antagonist idasanutlin in patients with polycythemia vera: results from a single-arm phase 2 study

Idasanutlin, an MDM2 antagonist, showed clinical activity and rapid reduction in JAK2 V617F allele burden in patients with polycythemia vera (PV) in a phase 1 study. This open-label, phase 2 study evaluated idasanutlin in patients with hydroxyurea (HU)-resistant/intolerant PV, per the European LeukemiaNet criteria, and phlebotomy dependence; prior ruxolitinib exposure was permitted. Idasanutlin was administered once daily, days 1-5 of each 28-day cycle. The primary endpoint was composite response (hematocrit control and spleen volume reduction >35%) in patients with splenomegaly, and hematocrit control in patients without splenomegaly at week 32. Key secondary endpoints included safety, complete hematologic response (CHR), patient-reported outcomes, and molecular responses. All patients (n=27) received idasanutlin; 16 had response assessment (week 32). Among responders with baseline splenomegaly (n=13), 9 (69%) attained any spleen volume reduction and 1 achieved composite response. Nine patients (56%) achieved hematocrit control, and 8 patients (50%) achieved CHR. Overall, 43% of evaluable patients (n=6/14) showed a ≥50% reduction in the Myeloproliferative Neoplasm Symptom Assessment Form Total Symptom Score (week 32). Nausea (93%), diarrhea (78%), and vomiting (41%) were the most common adverse events, with grade ≥3 nausea and vomiting experienced in 3 patients (11%) and 1 patient (4%), respectively. Reduced JAK2 V617F allele burden occurred early (after 3 cycles), with a median reduction of 76%, and associated with achieving CHR and hematocrit control. Overall, the idasanutlin dosing regimen showed clinical activity and rapidly reduced JAK2 allele burden in patients with HU-resistant/intolerant PV but was associated with low-grade gastrointestinal toxicity, leading to poor long-term tolerability. Registration: NCT03287245.

Combination approach to diagnosis and treatment of an elderly patient with chronic Ph-negative myeloproliferative neoplasm and concomitant surgical pathology. Clinical observation

Chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (CMPN), Ph-negative, are of clonal nature, develop on the level of hematopoietic stem cell and are characterized by proliferation of one or more hematopoietic pathways. Currently, the group of Ph-negative CMPN includes essential thrombocythemia, primary myelofibrosis, polycythemia vera, myeloproliferative neoplasm unclassifiable.Identification of mutations in the Jak2 (V617F), CALR, and MPL genes extended understanding of biological features of Ph-negative CMPN and improved differential diagnosis of myeloid neoplasms. Nonetheless, clinical practice still encounters difficulties in clear separation between such disorders as primary myelofibrosis, early-stage and transformation of essential thrombocythemia into myelofibrosis with high thrombocytosis. Thrombocytosis is one of the main risk factors for thromboembolic complications, especially in elderly people.A clinical case of an elderly patient with fracture of the left femur developed in the context of Ph-negative CMPN (myelofibrosis) with high level of thrombocytosis is presented which in combination with enforced long-term immobilization and presence of additional risk created danger of thrombosis and hemorrhage during surgery and in the postoperative period.

Essential Thrombocythemia Following Immune thrombocytopenia With JAK2 V617F Mutation: A Case Report

Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune bleeding disorder. Tyrosine Kinase JAK2 (JAK2 V617F) mutation occurs in nearly 60% of Essential Thrombocythemia (ET) patients. Both diseases produce impaired platelet. We describe a case with ET following ITP. So far, only 3 reports described ET following ITP. We report the fourth patient with JAK2 V617F mutation at the onset of ITP presented 20 years ago that needed splenectomy. The association of these two diseases may recommend similar pathogenic mechanisms between Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPNs) and ITP that should be further explored.

JAK2 GGCC (46/1) Haplotype in Unprovoked Venous Thrombotic Events

Background: JAK2 GGCC 46/1 haplotype can be represented by four main SNPs (rs3780367, rs10974944, rs12343867, and rs1159782) which replace one cytosine and three thymidines by two guanosines and two cytosines, generating a "GGCC" combination. These four SNPs located on JAK2 introns 10, 12, 14, and 15, respectively, and are always inherited together, being in complete linkage disequilibrium. The 46/1 component of the name came from Jones et al. study where the haplotype structure of the JAK2 gene was mapped using 14 SNPs genotyped by the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium (WTCCC) in 1500 healthy blood donors. Two haplotypes (numbers 46 and 1) were found to be identical except for one SNP, and they have a combined frequency of 0.24 in healthy individuals. Numerous observational studies associate this haplotype with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), as well as splanchnic vein thrombosis (SVT) and non-splanchnic vein thrombosis (non-SVT). In contrast to 24% frequency noted in healthy population, the frequency goes up to 40-80% in JAK2 V617F mutated MPN, and in 64% of those with JAK2 exon 12 mutations (Anelli et al. IJMS, 2018). We herein report our study of JAK2 GGCC (46/1) Haplotype in unprovoked Venous Thrombotic Events (VTE) in patients with negative thrombophilia workup, including negative JAK2 V617F mutation. Methods: We retrospectively identified patients positive for one of the two SNPs (rs12343867 and rs10974900) and unprovoked venous thrombotic among adult patients with negative thrombophilia workup (including JAK2 mutation) treated at tertiary care center from January 2018 to January 2021. Results: We have identified 8 patients, Table (1), that were positive for JAK2 46/1 haplotype SNPs, of whom 62.5% were homozygous 2/2, 25% heterozygous 1/2, while only 12.5% harbor homozygous 1/1 (a normal variant of JAK2 haplotype). The median age 48.5 years (23-65), and the majority (87.5%) were females. Thrombosis site was noted to be SVT in half of the patients, while non-SVT was noted in the other half (12.5% had cerebral vein thrombosis, 12.5% had deep venous thrombosis, 12.5% had a pulmonary embolism, and 12.5% had jugular vein thrombosis). Half of the patients had more than one site venous thrombosis and the other half had only one site. Around 37.50% of the patients had recurrent venous thrombosis on top of therapeutic anticoagulation. Two patients (25%) had high hemoglobin (17.4/16.7) g/dl, but did not fulfill the criteria for polycythemia vera diagnosis (of whom one is a male smoker and one was a female). None of the patients had leukocytosis or thrombocytosis. By imaging, one patient had mild splenomegaly which could be related to SVT. Conclusion: We report on a potential correlation between unprovoked thrombotic events, mainly venous thrombotic events, with JAK2 46/1 haplotype in patients with a negative thrombophilia workup, a finding that merit further investigation. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Germline-Somatic Interactions in Myelofibrosis Susceptibility

Introduction: Myelofibrosis (MF) is a rare myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) characterized by bone marrow fibrosis, progressive bone marrow failure, and increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia. While MF arises from somatic driver mutations in JAK2, MPL, and CALR, some MPN patients may have a heritable component. To comprehensively examine the genetic etiology of MF, we performed the first integrative analysis of SNP array genotyping (using Infinium Global Screening Array), targeted long-read sequencing (using PacBio SMRT sequencing) and telomere length (TL, using qPCR assay). Methods: Our study included 937 MF patients who received an allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) between 2000 and 2016 and had an available pre-HCT blood sample at the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research Repository. Somatic mosaic chromosomal alterations (mCAs, including deletions, duplications, or copy-neutral losses-of-heterozygosity (CNLOH)) were called with the Mosaic Chromosomal Alteration (MoChA) algorithm using raw genotyping intensity data. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was restricted to include 827 MF patients of European ancestry and utilized 4,135 genetically-matched healthy controls. Results: GWAS identified six independent MF susceptibility loci at genome-wide significance (P< 5×10 -8); four of which replicate prior MPN susceptibility loci [9p24.1(JAK2), 5p15.33(TERT), 3q25.33(IFT80), and 4q24(TET2)] and two novel MF loci [6p21.35(HLA-DQB1-AS1) and 17p13.1(TP53)] (Figure 1). A transcriptome-wide association analysis using whole blood GTEx data highlighted the 9p24.1 locus with increased JAK2 expression associated with elevated risk of MF (P= 2.18×10 -19). A strong colocalization statistic further indicated shared genetic component between eQTL and this JAK2 locus (HyPrColoc Posterior Probability= 0.6) (Figure 2). Based on the strong signal identified at TERT (Figure 1), we investigated the relationship between MF risk and genetically-inferred telomere length using a panel of 19 germline variants previously found to be associated with telomere length. Of the 19 telomere-length associated variants investigated, 7 were found to be associated with MF risk (binomial P= 2.31×10 -5, linear trend P= 5.48×10 -4) (Figure 3). Both Mendelian randomization and genome-wide genetic correlation analyses further indicated that increased risk of MF was associated with longer inherited telomere length. Utilizing available clinical mutation data on a subset of 185 patients, MF cases carrying the germline risk haplotype of the 9p24.1(JAK2) susceptibility locus were observed to more frequently have the JAK2 V617F mutation (71% vs 59%; P= 0.02). Targeted PacBio long-read sequencing around JAK2 provided further evidence of linkage between the germline risk allele and the JAK2 V617F mutation. Detectable autosomal mCAs were also abundant in MF cases with 67.4% having at least one mCA (compared to ~3% in the general population) and 27.6% having an mCA spanning JAK2 (mostly CNLOH) (Figure 4). In addition, using a binomial test for biased allelic imbalance, a cis relationship was identified at 9p24.1 in which the MF risk haplotype was predominantly duplicated by CNLOH (binomial P=1.36×10 -9). Regional sequencing of JAK2 further confirmed duplication of JAK2 V617F by CNLOH. Finally, we observed an inverse association between autosomal mCAs and qPCR measured telomere length (OR= 0.22, 95% CI= 0.07-0.65, P= 6.40×10 -3). These results were consistent by mCA chromosomal region and copy number state. Conclusion: Our results suggest a molecular framework for the genetic etiology of MF in which both genetically-inferred telomere length and germline variation at JAK2 are associated with increased MF risk. The 9p24.1 risk haplotype predisposes to the acquisition of a somatic JAK2 V617F mutation in cis and subsequent duplication of JAK2 V617F by mCAs (usually CNLOH). This process leads to aberrant JAK2 activity and increased clonal proliferation, accelerating telomere length shortening and increasing genomic instability in patients with MF. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Gupta: AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Constellation Pharma: Consultancy, Honoraria; Roche: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy; BMS-Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sierra Oncology: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Incyte: Honoraria, Research Funding. Lee: Janssen: Other; Incyte: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Research Funding; Kadmon: Research Funding; National Marrow Donor Program: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Syndax: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding. Saber: Govt. COI: Other.