Key clinical point: Mutations promoting loss of function in the histone methyltransferase EZH2 are relatively rare but may promote chemoresistance to the treatment agent cytarabine in patients with acute myeloid leukemia.
Major finding: In cell lines and in patient samples, AML patients, loss of function of EZH2 fostered resistance to cytarabine; the EZH2 mutation was present in 4% of AML patients at diagnosis; low expression of EZH2 mRNA was correlated with poor overall survival and relapse-free survival.
Study details: The data come from a combination of patient samples, in vivo and in vitro patient-derived xenografts, and haematopeoietic cell lines, and included 25 patients with an EZH2 mutation at the time of diagnosis.
Disclosures: The study was supported by Projekt DEAL. The researchers had no financial conflicts to disclose.
Source: Kempf JM et al. Sci Rep. 2021 Mar 12. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-84708-6.