Myeloid sarcoma shows a high frequency of mutations activating the MAPK/ERK pathway and association with clonal hematopoiesis

Abstract

Myeloid sarcoma (MS) is a mass-forming extramedullary manifestation of myeloid blasts, either in relation to an underlying acute myeloid leukemia (AML), another myeloid neoplasm (MN) or as a de novo occurrence. Data on the genetic profile of MS are sparse. In this study, 41 MS of 34 patients, including 7 de novo cases and 24 patients with antecedent or synchronous MN, were analyzed with targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS), RNA-based fusion detection, and gene expression profiling (GEP). In 10 patients, a MS developed after stem cell transplantation for MN. Additionally, 21 available pre-transplant bone marrow biopsies (BMB) from 20 patients and 6 post-transplant BMB from 6 patients were investigated. The most frequently mutated gene was TET2 (41%), followed by NPM1 (38%) and NRAS (35%). Overall, 74% of the cases exhibited mutations affecting the MAPK/ERK pathway. AML-type fusions were detected in seven MS patients, who were younger than those without fusions (median 49 versus 67 years). Nine of 13 patients with a MN and available pre-transplant BMB showed additional mutations restricted to the MS, including an additional NRAS mutation in 3/5 cases with AML. Five of seven of patients with pre-transplant BMB without evidence of a MN revealed clonal hematopoiesis (CH), mostly shared TET2 mutations. Comparative GEP between BM and MS revealed upregulation of the MAPK/ERK pathway in MS and of gene sets relevant for interaction with the microenvironment. In conclusion, MS is characterized by a high incidence of MAPK/ERK pathway mutations and activation, frequent clonal evolution, and association with CH in elderly patients without recurrent AML-type fusions.