Cytogenetic and Molecular Characteristics in Adult Hispanic Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients From Puerto Rico

The cytogenetic and molecular heterogeneity of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized as a contributing factor in the disparity of treatment outcomes and clinical outcomes seen among ethnic and racial groups. In this study, we have retrospectively evaluated the karyotypes of 800 adult Hispanic AML patients from Puerto Rico (PR). Acute promyelocytic leukemia with PML-RARA is the most common recurrent cytogenetic abnormality, compatible with previously published results. Among these AML patients, 163 patients had 21 gene panels performed. Twenty-six (15.95%) patients showed no detectable mutations, and 137 patients (84.05%) showed at least one mutation. Compared with previously published data from other examined Hispanic AML populations in the United States, mutational frequencies of these 21 genes, except for ASXL1, WT1, and KRAS, show no significant difference. This is the largest study to date about the landscape of cytogenetic and molecular abnormalities in Hispanic AML patients and a first report regarding the frequencies of these abnormalities in Puerto Rican Hispanic AML patients.