Clinical and laboratory features associated with myeloperoxidase expression in pediatric B-lymphoblastic leukemia

Abstract

Background: B-lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is the most common childhood malignancy, and its diagnosis requires immunophenotypically demonstrating blast B cell lineage differentiation. Expression of myeloperoxidase (MPO) in B-ALL is well-described and it has been recognized that a diagnosis of mixed phenotype acute leukemia should be made cautiously if MPO expression is the sole myeloid feature in these cases. We sought to determine whether MPO expression in pediatric B-ALL was associated with differences in laboratory, immunophenotypic, or clinical features. Methods: We reviewed clinical, diagnostic bone marrow flow cytometry, and laboratory data for all new B-ALL diagnoses at our pediatric institution in 5 years. Cases were categorized as MPO positive (MPO+) or negative (MPO−) using a threshold of ≥20% blasts expressing MPO at intensity greater than the upper limit of normal lymphocytes on diagnostic bone marrow flow cytometry. Results: A total of 148 cases were reviewed, 32 of which (22%) were MPO+. MPO+ B-ALL was more frequently hyperdiploid and less frequently harbored ETV6-RUNX1; no MPO+ cases had KMT2A rearrangements or BCR-ABL1. Although not significantly so, MPO+ B-ALL was less likely than MPO− B-ALL to have positive end-of-induction minimal residual disease studies (9.4 and 24%, respectively), but relapse rates and stem cell transplantation rates were similar between groups. Aberrant expression of other more typically myeloid markers was similar between these groups. Conclusion: In our study cohort, MPO+ B-ALL showed minimal residual disease persistence less often after induction chemotherapy but otherwise had similar clinical outcomes to MPO− B-ALL, with similar rates of additional myeloid antigen aberrancy.