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Thoas Fioretos

Thoas Fioretos

Research team manager

Thoas Fioretos

N-terminus DUX4-immunohistochemistry is a reliable methodology for the diagnosis of DUX4-fused B-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (N-terminus DUX4 IHC for DUX4-fused B-ALL)

Author

  • Bradford J. Siegele
  • Anat O. Stemmer-Rachamimov
  • Henrik Lilljebjorn
  • Thoas Fioretos
  • Amanda C. Winters
  • Paola Dal Cin
  • Amy Treece
  • Alisa Gaskell
  • Valentina Nardi

Summary, in English

B-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (B-ALL) is the most common pediatric malignancy and the most commonly diagnosed adult lymphoblastic leukemia. Recent advances have broadened the spectrum of B-ALL, with DUX4 gene fusions implicated in a subclass occurring in adolescents and young adults and harboring a favorable prognosis. DUX4 fusions have been challenging to identify. We aimed to determine whether expression of the DUX4 oncoprotein, as detected by targeted immunohistochemistry, might serve as a surrogate for molecular detection of DUX4 fusions in B-ALL. A cohort of investigational B-ALLs was generated with enrichment for DUX4 fusions by the inclusion of cases with characteristic demographic features and immunophenotypic properties. B-ALLs with mutually exclusive cytogenetics were collected. Immunohistochemical staining by a monoclonal antibody raised against the N-terminus of the DUX4 protein was performed. N-DUX4 immunohistochemistry demonstrated strong, crisp nuclear staining in blasts of seven investigational cases, six of which had nucleic acid material available for molecular evaluation. Five of these cases demonstrated RNA-seq DUX4-fusion positivity. One N-DUX4 immunohistochemistry positive case lacked a definitive DUX4-fusion by RNA-seq, though demonstrated a gene expression profile characteristic of DUX4-rearranged B-ALLs, a CD2+ immunophenotype, and a lack of staining by C-terminus DUX4 antibody immunohistochemistry. At least 83.3% [5/6] positive predictive value. N-DUX4 immunohistochemistry was negative in blasts of three RNA-seq DUX4-fusion-negative cases (3/3; 100% negative predictive value). B-ALLs with mutually exclusive cytogenetic profiles were all N-DUX4 negative (0/10, specificity 100%). N-DUX4 immunohistochemistry is reliable for the distinction of DUX4-rearranged B-ALLs from other B-ALLs. We recommend its use for subclassification of B-ALLs in adolescents and young adults and in B-ALLs that remain “not otherwise specified.”.

Department/s

  • Division of Clinical Genetics
  • Translational Genomic and Functional Studies of Leukemia
  • LUCC: Lund University Cancer Centre

Publishing year

2022

Language

English

Pages

449-458

Publication/Series

Genes Chromosomes and Cancer

Volume

61

Issue

8

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Topic

  • Medical Genetics

Keywords

  • Adolescent and young adult
  • B-lymphoblastic leukemia
  • DUX4
  • immunohistochemistry

Status

Published

Research group

  • Translational Genomic and Functional Studies of Leukemia

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1045-2257