Background: Splicing modifications, genomic instability, and hypomethylation are central mechanisms promoting myelodysplasia and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In this real-life retrospective study, to elucidate pathophysiology of clonal hemopoiesis in hematological malignancies, we investigated clinical significance of mutations in leukemia-related genes of known pathogenetic significance and of variants of uncertain clinical significance (VUS) in a cohort of patients with MDS and AML.
Methods: A total of 59 consecutive subjects diagnosed with MDS, 48 with AML, and 17 with clonal cytopenia with unknown significance were screened for somatic mutations in AML-related genes by next-generation sequencing.
Treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) is difficult in older patients with comorbidities and high-risk disease factors. Venetoclax, the first-in-class Bcl-2 inhibitor, has proven efficacy and safety in combination with azacytidine for treatment of high-risk myeloid diseases. In this single-center real-life retrospective study, a total of 27 consecutive patients treated with azacytidine plus venetoclax were included, and clinical outcomes, hematological improvements, and biomarkers of responsiveness to therapy were compared to those observed in an historical cohort of 95 consecutive patients treated with azacytidine as single agent.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHematopoietic stem cell (HSC) maintenance is challenging because stem cell survival relies on cell-to-cell contacts and paracrine signals from bone marrow (BM) microenvironment. Indeed, HSCs easily differentiate in conventional culture systems, and study of stem cell biology, leukemogenesis, and evolutionary trajectories is limited. 3D-culture systems can mimic tissue architecture and microenvironment thus preserving HSC phenotype.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDiagnosing a complex genetic syndrome and correctly assigning the concomitant phenotypic traits to a well-defined clinical form is often a medical challenge. In this work, we report the analysis of a family with complex phenotypes, including microcephaly, intellectual disability, dysmorphic features, and polydactyly in the proband, with the aim of adding new aspects for obtaining a clear diagnosis. We performed array-comparative genomic hybridization and quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) analyses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of this study was to verify the reliability of a next generation sequencing (NGS)-based method as a strategy to detect all possible mutations, including large genomic rearrangements. Genomic DNA was obtained from a peripheral blood sample provided by a patient from Southern Italy with early onset breast cancer and a family history of diverse cancers. molecular analysis was performed by NGS, and sequence data were analyzed using two software packages.
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