Insight into del17p low-frequency subclones in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL): data from the Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group (ALLG)/CLL Australian Research Consortium (CLLARC) CLL5 trial

Br J Haematol. 2021 May;193(3):556-560. doi: 10.1111/bjh.17394. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Abstract

The clinical significance of low-frequency deletions of 17p13 [tumour protein p53 (TP53)] in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is currently unclear. Low-frequency del17p clones (<25%) were identified in 15/95 patients in the Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group (ALLG)/CLL Australian Research Consortium (CLLARC) CLL5 trial. Patients with low del17p, without tumour protein p53 (TP53) mutation, had significantly longer progression-free survival and overall survival durations than patients with high del17p clones. In 11/15 cases with low-frequency del17p, subclones solely with del17p or del13q were also noted. These data suggest that low-frequency del17p does not necessarily confer a poor outcome in CLL and challenges the notion of del13q as a founding event in CLL.

Keywords: CLL; CLL FISH; CLL TP53.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Australia / epidemiology
  • Chromosome Deletion
  • Chromosomes, Human, Pair 17 / genetics
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Humans
  • Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / genetics*
  • Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / mortality*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Smith-Magenis Syndrome / genetics*
  • Smith-Magenis Syndrome / mortality*
  • Survival Rate
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / genetics

Substances

  • TP53 protein, human
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53

Supplementary concepts

  • Chromosome 17 deletion