Prognostic value of genetic mutations in adolescent and young adults with acute myeloid leukemia

Clinical outcomes and the genetic background of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in adolescent and young adults (AYAs) are known to differ in younger children and older adults. To clarify the impact of genetic mutations on clinical outcomes of AYAs with AML, we analyzed data from the JPLSG AML-05 and JALSG AML201 studies. AYAs aged 15–39 years ( n = 103) were included. FLT3 -ITD, KIT , CEBPA , NRAS , KRAS , WT1 , MLL -PTD, and NPM1 mutations were analyzed. Overall survival (OS) of the AYAs was 61% and event-free survival was 38% at 3 years. FLT3 -ITD (HR 2.10; 95% CI 1.07–4.12; p = 0.031) and NPM1 (HR 0.24; 95% CI 0.06–1.00; p = 0.050) mutations were associated with risk of overall mortality in multivariate analysis. OS was significantly different according to FLT3 -ITD and NPM1 mutation status ( p = 0.03). Survival was 100% with NPM1 mutations in the absence of FLT3 -ITD and 35% (95% CI 14–57%) with FLT3 -ITD in the absence of NPM1 mutations. The OS of AYAs, children ( n = 413) and older adults ( n = 124) of the AML-05 and AML201 participants were significantly different ( p < 0.0001). This is the first report to combine clinical and genetic data of AYA AML from the major Japanese pediatric and adult study groups.