Abstract 6152: Genetic associations with hematologic malignancies: An evaluation of CLL polygenic risk score and MBL status in the Mayo Clinic Biobank Cohort
Authors: Mwangi Raphael , Robinson Dennis P. , Achenbach Sara J. , Kleinstern Geffen , Norman Aaron D. , Rabe Kari G. , Olson Janet E. , Kay Neil E. , Griffin Rosalie , Boddicker Nicholas J. , Braggio Esteban , Parikh Sameer A. , Hanson Curtis A. , Vachon Celine M. , Cerhan James R. , Shanafelt Tait D. , Slager Susan L. 
Published: March 2024

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) exhibits a substantial familial risk that extends beyond CLL to other B-cell lymphomas (including follicular lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma). Monoclonal B-cell Lymphocytosis (MBL), a precursor to CLL, is also associated with a significant risk for hematologic malignancies overall and for lymphoid malignancies, specifically. Moreover, previous research has shown an association between the CLL polygenic risk score (CLL-PRS) and common lymphoma subtypes. This study aims to further evaluate CLL-PRS associations with hematological cancer overall and by lineage while also considering MBL status a strong risk factor for lymphoid malignancies.

Utilizing the Mayo Clinic Biobank, we selected individuals aged 40 years or older, residing in proximal counties, who had no prior hematologic malignancies, and with available biospecimens. MBL screening was done using 8-color flow cytometry, and MBL with CLL (CD5+/CD20dim) or atypical CLL (CD5+/CD20+) immunophenotype were included. CLL-PRS was calculated from 41 known susceptibility variants, with weights being the log of the odds ratios from the largest CLL genome-wide association study. Incident hematologic malignancies were ascertained through ICD codes and confirmed via medical record review. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations with hematologic malignancies were estimated through Cox regression.

Of 7,332 participants, 1,150 (16%) screened positive for MBL; median age was 67 years (range 40-101), and 37% male. Median follow-up was 2.9 years (range 0-13), and 56 hematologic cancers were identified. After adjusting for age and sex, the CLL-PRS was associated with increased risk of developing hematologic (HR=1.49, 95%CI=1.12-1.98, P=0.006) which was all attributable to lymphoid cancers (HR=1.79, 95%CI=1.26-2.56, P=0.001). When adjusting for baseline MBL status in the models, the CLL-PRS associations remained significant but were attenuated for hematological (HR=1.33, 95%CI=0.99-1.79, P=0.058) and lymphoid (HR=1.56, 95%CI=1.07-2.26, P=0.020) malignancies, while MBL status was also significantly associated with risk of hematologic (HR=2.76, 95%CI=1.55-4.91, P=0.001) and lymphoid (HR=3.61, 95%CI=1.78-3.32, P&lt;0.001) malignancies.

In this prospective cohort study of individuals screened for MBL, CLL-PRS was associated with an elevated risk of hematologic malignancies overall and within the lymphoid lineage, underscoring a shared genetic etiology across many B-cell lymphomas. However, the associations between CLL-PRS and hematologic malignancies were attenuated when accounting for MBL status or when analyzing among MBL-positive individuals, highlighting the role of MBL status in these associations. Further research with expanded cohorts is needed to unravel these complex genetic and clinical interactions.

Citation Format: Raphael Mwangi, Dennis P. Robinson, Sara J. Achenbach, Geffen Kleinstern, Aaron D. Norman, Kari G. Rabe, Janet E. Olson, Neil E. Kay, Rosalie Griffin, Nicholas J. Boddicker, Esteban Braggio, Sameer A. Parikh, Curtis A. Hanson, Celine M. Vachon, James R. Cerhan, Tait D. Shanafelt, Susan L. Slager. Genetic associations with hematologic malignancies: An evaluation of CLL polygenic risk score and MBL status in the Mayo Clinic Biobank Cohort [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 6152.