Large clones of Clonal Hematopoiesis affect outcome in Mantle Cell Lymphoma: Results from The FIL MCL0208 Clinical Trial
Ragaini S, Galli A, Genuardi E, Gandossini M, Alessandria B, Civita AM, Evangelista A, Amaducci E, Stefoni V, Cavallo F, Ballerini F, Puccini B, Vallisa D, Michieli M, Pascarella A, Palmas AD, Patti C, Lucchini E, Careddu MG, Merli M, Postorino M, Bo
Although recent evidence suggests that myeloid clonal hematopoiesis (M-CH) may influence lymphoma clinical outcome, its impact in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) remains unclear. Here, we report a comprehensive NGS-based analysis of the M-CH mutational landscape at baseline and follow-up in patients enrolled in the Fondazione Italiana Linfomi (FIL) MCL0208 phase 3 trial (NCT02354313), evaluating lenalidomide maintenance versus observation after chemoimmunotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in untreated young MCL patients. Overall, 254/300 (85%) enrolled patients (median age 57 years [32-66]) had a baseline sample available for CH analysis. Using stringent criteria, at least one mutation involving M-CH candidate genes was described in 34 patients (13%), with DNMT3A being the most frequently mutated gene (54%). After a median follow-up of 7 years, the presence of large CH clones (VAF ≥ 10%) predicted worse PFS (HR 2.93 [1.36-6.31], p=0.006) and OS (HR 3.02 [1.21-7.55], p=0.018) compared to CH- patients. Importantly, the competing risks analysis demonstrates that the worse clinical outcome associated with M-CH large clones is linked to MCL progression (P<0.05). Moreover, large M-CH clones showed longer time to hematologic recovery after ASCT compared to the remaining cohort (p=0.026). In conclusion, we showed for the first time that large CH clones might associate with unfavorable clinical impact in MCL patients.
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Blood advances, 2025-01-18