Clonal hematopoiesis (CH) harboring a leukemia-related mutation has been recently found in about 10% of healthy elderly individuals, which has been attracting attention. Although most people with CH do not develop hematological malignancies, some may develop hematological malignancies 10 times more frequently than age-matched controls. On the other hand, compared to age-matched controls, the probability of developing cardiovascular diseases in people with CH is 2-fold, which is thought to shorten the life expectancy. Moreover, one out of four patients with solid cancer and one out of two patients with aplastic anemia, whose mutation profiles overlap with but are distinct from common mutations identified with CH of elderly people, harbor CH. The study of CH has just begun, and there are many unknowns. In an aging society of unprecedented proportions, which is also attracting attention from the society, the establishment of a new research field that investigates CH in the near future is likely.
Keywords: Aplastic anemia; Epigenetics; Hematological malignancy; Preleukemia.