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A regional virtual case discussion forum in pediatric oncology: Experience of the Pediatric Oncology East and Mediterranean Group

Noun D, Obeid A, Belgaumi A, Sidhom I, Jadiry MA, Al-Saeed R, et al.

Pediatr Blood Cancer, 2024 Mar;71(3):e30838.
PMID: 38149824 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.30838

BACKGROUND: The Pediatric Oncology East and Mediterranean (POEM) group that aims to share expertise among pediatric oncology providers across the Middle East, North Africa, and East Asia region initiated a virtual Case Discussion Forum (CDF) in 2013.
METHODS: Meeting records from September 2013 till June 2021 were reviewed. Detailed minutes were available starting August 2016; case data were analyzed including diagnoses, purpose of presentation and recommendations. A 38-item survey assessing perception of benefits, challenges, and opportunities of the forum was distributed to members of the POEM group and results analyzed.
RESULTS: A total of 140 cases were presented from 14 countries. After August 2016, 67 cases were presented, and those were analyzed regarding reasons for discussion, barriers, and recommendations. Details are presented in this report, and the most common challenges identified were related to histopathologic/molecular diagnosis (24%), imaging interpretation (18%), resource limitations (12%), and surgical difficulties (9%). A survey was distributed to all POEM members in 28 countries, and 76 responded. The main benefit reported was the provision of recommendations regarding treatment and evaluation, while the main challenges reported were time zone difference and workload. Recognized opportunities included conducting regionally relevant research studies based on clinical problems identified during discussions, and setting guidelines for resource-adapted treatment regimens.
CONCLUSIONS: The POEM CDF identified areas for multi-institutional regional studies and led to a twinning project between two centers in the region for improving diagnostic infrastructure. Such forums can identify specific resource limitations in pediatric cancer and direct efforts for targeted capacity building.
Fulltext Novel variants in NUDT15 and thiopurine intolerance in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia from diverse ancestry

Moriyama T, Yang YL, Nishii R, Ariffin H, Liu C, Lin TN, et al.

Blood, 2017 Sep 07;130(10):1209-1212.
PMID: 28659275 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2017-05-782383

Prolonged exposure to thiopurines (eg, mercaptopurine [MP]) is essential for curative therapy in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), but is also associated with frequent dose-limiting hematopoietic toxicities, which is partly explained by inherited genetic polymorphisms in drug metabolizing enzymes (eg, TPMT). Recently, our group and others identified germ line genetic variants in NUDT15 as another major cause of thiopurine-related myelosuppression, particularly in Asian and Hispanic people. In this article, we describe 3 novel NUDT15 coding variants (p.R34T, p.K35E, and p.G17_V18del) in 5 children with ALL enrolled in frontline protocols in Singapore, Taiwan, and at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Patients carrying these variants experienced significant toxicity and reduced tolerance to MP across treatment protocols. Functionally, all 3 variants led to partial to complete loss of NUDT15 nucleotide diphosphatase activity and negatively influenced protein stability. In particular, the p.G17_V18del variant protein showed extremely low thermostability and was completely void of catalytic activity, thus likely to confer a high risk of thiopurine intolerance. This in-frame deletion was only seen in African and European patients, and is the first NUDT15 risk variant identified in non-Asian, non-Hispanic populations. In conclusion, we discovered 3 novel loss-of-function variants in NUDT15 associated with MP toxicity, enabling more comprehensive pharmacogenetics-based thiopurine dose adjustments across diverse populations.
Fulltext Association of Genetic Ancestry With the Molecular Subtypes and Prognosis of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Lee SHR, Antillon-Klussmann F, Pei D, Yang W, Roberts KG, Li Z, et al.

JAMA Oncol, 2022 Mar 01;8(3):354-363.
PMID: 35084434 DOI: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2021.6826

IMPORTANCE: Racial and ethnic disparities persist in the incidence and treatment outcomes of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, there is a paucity of data describing the genetic basis of these disparities, especially in association with modern ALL molecular taxonomy and in the context of contemporary treatment regimens.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of genetic ancestry with childhood ALL molecular subtypes and outcomes of modern ALL therapy.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This multinational, multicenter genetic association study was conducted from March 1, 2000, to November 20, 2020, among 2428 children and adolescents with ALL enrolled in frontline trials from the United States, South East Asia (Singapore and Malaysia), and Latin America (Guatemala), representing diverse populations of European, African, Native American, East Asian, and South Asian descent. Statistical analysis was conducted from February 3, 2020, to April 19, 2021.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Molecular subtypes of ALL and genetic ancestry were comprehensively characterized by performing RNA sequencing. Associations of genetic ancestries with ALL molecular subtypes and treatment outcomes were then evaluated.
RESULTS: Among the participants in the study, 1340 of 2318 (57.8%) were male, and the mean (SD) age was 7.8 (5.3) years. Of 21 ALL subtypes identified, 8 were associated with ancestry. East Asian ancestry was positively associated with the frequency of somatic DUX4 (odds ratio [OR], 1.30 [95% CI, 1.16-1.45]; P

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