Mutational analysis of DNMT3A improves the prognostic stratification of patients with acute myeloid leukemia

Cancer Sci. 2023 Apr;114(4):1297-1308. doi: 10.1111/cas.15720. Epub 2023 Jan 27.

Abstract

Nucleophosmin1 (NPM1) mutations are the most frequently detected gene mutations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and are considered a favorable prognostic factor. We retrospectively analyzed the prognosis of 605 Japanese patients with de novo AML, including 174 patients with NPM1-mutated AML. Although patients with NPM1-mutated AML showed a high remission rate, this was not a favorable prognostic factor for overall survival (OS); this is contrary to generally accepted guidelines. Comprehensive gene mutation analysis showed that mutations in codon R882 of DNA methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3AR882 mutations) were a strong predicative factor indicating poor prognosis in all AML (p < 0.0001) and NPM1-mutated AML cases (p = 0.0020). Furthermore, multivariate analysis of all AML cases showed that DNMT3AR882 mutations and the co-occurrence of internal tandem duplication in FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3-ITD), NPM1 mutations, and DNMT3AR882 mutations (triple mutations) were independent factors predicting a poor prognosis related to OS, with NPM1 mutations being an independent factor for a favorable prognosis (hazard ratios: DNMT3AR882 mutations, 1.946; triple mutations, 1.992, NPM1 mutations, 0.548). Considering the effects of DNMT3AR882 mutations and triple mutations on prognosis and according to the classification of NPM1-mutated AML into three risk groups based on DNMT3AR882 /FLT3-ITD genotypes, we achieved the improved stratification of prognosis (p < 0.0001). We showed that DNMT3AR882 mutations are an independent factor for poor prognosis; moreover, when confounding factors that include DNMT3AR882 mutations were excluded, NPM1 mutations were a favorable prognostic factor. This revealed that ethnological prognostic discrepancies in NPM1 mutations might be corrected through prognostic stratification based on the DNMT3A status.

Keywords: DNMT3A; NPM1; acute myeloid leukemia; prognostic factor; triple mutation.

MeSH terms

  • DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases* / genetics
  • DNA Mutational Analysis
  • Humans
  • Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute* / genetics
  • Mutation
  • Nucleophosmin / genetics
  • Prognosis
  • Retrospective Studies

Substances

  • DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases
  • Nucleophosmin
  • DNMT3A protein, human
  • NPM1 protein, human