Distinct Characteristics of e13a2 versus e14a2 BCR-ABL Chronic Myeloid Leukemia under Upfront Treatment with Imatinib – an Analysis of the German CML Study IV,

The vast majority of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients express a BCR-ABL fusion gene mRNA encoding a 210 kDa tyrosine kinase which is constitutively activated and hence the mainspring of leukemic transformation. Two typical mRNA variants exist that differ in the presence or absence of the 75 basepair BCR exon 14: the e13a2 (lacking exon 14, also known as “b2a2”) and the e14a2 BCR-ABL transcript (“b3a2”). The significance of the additional 25 amino acid residues of the e14a2 BCR-ABL oncoprotein was extensively studied in the pre-imatinib era. However, the influence of the BCR-ABL transcript variant on the individual disease phenotype and outcome remained controversial and is still undefined in the imatinib era. Patients and methods: A total of 1,104 patients (median age 52 years, range 16–85, 40% female) expressing typical BCR-ABL transcript types (e13a2, n=447; e14a2, n=491; e13a2 and e14a2, n=166) were included in the randomized German CML study IV and treated with an imatinib based therapy consisting of imatinib 400 mg, imatinib 800 mg and combinations of standard dose imatinib with interferon alpha and low-dose cytarabine. The type of BCR-ABL transcript was defined by multiplex PCR. BCR-ABL expression was determined by quantitative RT-PCR and standardized according to the international scale (IS). Cytogenetic response was determined by conventional metaphase analyses. Response landmarks were defined according to European LeukemiaNet criteria, MR⁴ was defined as BCR-ABL IS ≤ 0.01% Results: No differences regarding age, sex and Euro risk were observed. A significant difference was observed comparing white blood cells (90,400/μl vs. 69,100/μl, p<0.001) and platelets (293,000/μl vs. 424,000/μl, p<0.001) at diagnosis (median, e13a2 vs. e14a2, respectively) indicating a distinct phenotype. No significant difference was observed regarding spleen size, basophils, eosinophils, blasts or adverse events under imatinib. Molecular response as determined by a transcript independent quantitative PCR assay was superior in e14a2 patients as compared to e13a2 patients (median time to major molecular response, MMR 1.5 years vs. 1.2 years, p<0.001; median time to MR⁴ 4.2 years vs. 2.5 years, p<0.001). No difference was observed with regard to the achievement of a complete cytogenetic remission (CCyR). The superior molecular response rate of e14a2 patients did not translate into differences in progression free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS). Conclusion: Distinct initial blood counts suggest a different phenotype of e13a2 and e14a2 driven CML. MMR and MR⁴ are achieved earlier by e14a2 patients whereas no difference was observed with regard to PFS and OS.

Schnittger:Münchner Leukämie Labor: Equity Ownership. Haferlach:Münchner Leukämie Labor: Equity Ownership. German CML Study Group:Deutsche Krebshilfe: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; BMBF: Research Funding; EU: Research Funding; Roche: Research Funding; Essex: Research Funding.