EVI-1 oncogene expression predicts survival in chronic-phase CML patients resistant to imatinib treated with second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Blood. 2010 Dec 23;116(26):6014-7. doi: 10.1182/blood-2010-01-264234. Epub 2010 Sep 20.

Abstract

Activation of the EVI-1 oncogene has been reported in acute myeloid leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in blast crisis, and less commonly, in chronic-phase CML patients. We screened an unselected cohort of 75 chronic-phase CML patients who had failed imatinib for expression of EVI-1 and sought a correlation with subsequent outcome on the second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors dasatinib (n = 61) or nilotinib (n = 14). The 8 patients (10.7%) who expressed EVI-1 transcripts detectable by real-time polymerase chain reaction had significantly lower event-free survival, progression-free survival, and overall survival than patients with undetectable transcript. The predictive value of EVI-1 expression was validated in an independent cohort. In a multivariate analysis, EVI-1 expression status and the best cytogenetic response obtained on imatinib were the only independent predictors for overall survival, progression-free survival, and event-free survival. Our data suggest that screening for EVI-1 expression at the time of imatinib failure may predict for response to second-line TKI therapy and consequently aid clinical management.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Benzamides
  • Blast Crisis
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics*
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Dasatinib
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / drug effects*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Imatinib Mesylate
  • In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence
  • Leukemia, Myeloid, Chronic-Phase / drug therapy
  • Leukemia, Myeloid, Chronic-Phase / genetics
  • Leukemia, Myeloid, Chronic-Phase / mortality*
  • MDS1 and EVI1 Complex Locus Protein
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Piperazines / therapeutic use*
  • Prognosis
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / therapeutic use*
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Proto-Oncogenes / genetics*
  • Pyrimidines / therapeutic use*
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Neoplasm / genetics
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Salvage Therapy
  • Survival Rate
  • Thiazoles / therapeutic use*
  • Transcription Factors / genetics*
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism

Substances

  • Benzamides
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • MDS1 and EVI1 Complex Locus Protein
  • MECOM protein, human
  • Piperazines
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors
  • Pyrimidines
  • RNA, Messenger
  • RNA, Neoplasm
  • Thiazoles
  • Transcription Factors
  • Imatinib Mesylate
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
  • nilotinib
  • Dasatinib