Chromosome band 16q22-linked familial AML: Exclusion of candidate genes, and possible disease risk modification byNQO1 polymorphisms

Heritability of hematologic malignancies: from pedigrees to genomics

Many hematologic malignancies have an underlying heritable component. Although not as well characterized as the acquired genetic abnormalities that define important prognostic and therapeutic subgroups of myeloid and lymphoid neoplasms, investigations are beginning to unravel the role of germline genetic variation in the predisposition to hematologic malignancies. Information gained from the study of striking family pedigrees, epidemiologic data, and candidate genes are now being combined with unbiased genome-wide investigations to outline the network of genetic abnormalities that contribute to hematologic malignancy risk. This article reviews the current understanding of the heritability of hematologic malignancies in the genomics era.

Familial myelodysplasia and acute myeloid leukaemia--a review

Familial occurrence of myelodysplasia (MDS) and/or acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is rare but can provide a useful resource for the investigation of predisposing mutations in these myeloid malignancies. To date, examination of families with MDS/AML has lead to the detection of two culprit genes, RUNX1 and CEBPA. Germline mutations in RUNX1 result in familial platelet disorder with propensity to myeloid malignancy and inherited mutations of CEBPA predispose to AML. Unfortunately, the genetic cause remains obscure in most other reported pedigrees. Further insight into the molecular mechanisms of familial MDS/AML will require awareness by clinicians of new patients with relevant family histories.

A common genetic variant in XPD associates with risk of 5q- and 7q-deleted acute myeloid leukemia

Numerous structural genetic abnormalities observed in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) illustrate the heterogeneity of this disease, which likely has contributed to difficulty in identifying susceptibility alleles for AML. We previously reported that carriers of the glutamine-encoding allele at codon 751 of the xeroderma pigmentosum group D (XPD) DNA repair gene were significantly more likely to have a karyotype associated with a less favorable prognosis, and hypothesized that this observation was driven by an association between the codon 751 variant and risk of developing AML with specific structural abnormalities. Using a case series of 927 patients with AML, we show here that the XPD codon 751 glutamine-encoding variant significantly associates with risk of developing AML with a chromosome 5q deletion (odds ratio [OR] 2.09; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14-3.81; n=69; P=.02) or a chromosome 7q deletion (OR 2.27; 95% CI 1.09-4.71; n=47; P=.03), but not with any other commonly recurring cytogenetic lesion.