Abstract
Although the clinical features of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) genetic aberrations have been well-characterized in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), definitive information on their prognostic significance is lacking. We aimed to explore the prognostic significance of IDH gene alterations in an Egyptian cohort of adult patients with de novo AML. Diagnostic peripheral blood samples from 51 AML patients were analyzed for the presence of mutations/SNPs in exon 4 of IDH1 and IDH2 genes using polymerase chain reaction amplification followed by direct sequencing. IDH mutational status had no impact on event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS), whereas the presence of IDH1 315C > T SNP was significantly associated with inferior EFS (P = 0.037) and OS (P = 0.034) as compared with wild-type IDH1. IDH1 315C > T SNP but not IDH mutations is associated with unfavorable outcomes, suggesting that AML patients with IDH1 315C > T SNP can represent a new subgroup of patients which allows refined risk stratification.