A genome-wide association study of susceptibility to acute lymphoblastic leukemia in adolescents and young adults

Blood. 2015 Jan 22;125(4):680-6. doi: 10.1182/blood-2014-09-595744. Epub 2014 Dec 2.

Abstract

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in adolescents and young adults (AYA) is characterized by distinct presenting features and inferior prognosis compared with pediatric ALL. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to comprehensively identify inherited genetic variants associated with susceptibility to AYA ALL. In the discovery GWAS, we compared genotype frequency at 635 297 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 308 AYA ALL cases and 6,661 non-ALL controls by using a logistic regression model with genetic ancestry as a covariate. SNPs that reached P ≤ 5 × 10(-8) in GWAS were tested in an independent cohort of 162 AYA ALL cases and 5,755 non-ALL controls. We identified a single genome-wide significant susceptibility locus in GATA3: rs3824662, odds ratio (OR), 1.77 (P = 2.8 × 10(-10)) and rs3781093, OR, 1.73 (P = 3.2 × 10(-9)). These findings were validated in the replication cohort. The risk allele at rs3824662 was most frequent in Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-like ALL but also conferred susceptibility to non-Ph-like ALL in AYAs. In 1,827 non-selected ALL cases, the risk allele frequency at this SNP was positively correlated with age at diagnosis (P = 6.29 × 10(-11)). Our results from this first GWAS of AYA ALL susceptibility point to unique biology underlying leukemogenesis and potentially distinct disease etiology by age group.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Alleles*
  • Female
  • GATA3 Transcription Factor / genetics
  • Gene Frequency*
  • Genetic Loci
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease*
  • Genome-Wide Association Study*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Neoplasm Proteins / genetics
  • Philadelphia Chromosome
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide*
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / genetics*
  • Risk Factors
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • GATA3 Transcription Factor
  • GATA3 protein, human
  • Neoplasm Proteins