Does RAD21 Co-Mutation Have a Role in DNMT3A Mutated AML? Results of Harmony Alliance AML Database
Authors: Azibeiro Melchor Raúl , Hernández Sánchez Alberto , González Teresa , Sobas Marta , Martinez Elicegui Javier , Villaverde Ramiro Angela , Benner Axel , Sträng Eric , Gastone Castellani , Heckman Caroline A. , Heredia Casanoves Ana , Versluis Jurjen , Abáigar María , Jamilis Laura , Valk Peter JM , Metzeler Klaus H. , Ayala Rosa , Dombret Herve , Sierra Jorge , Preudomme Claude , Damm Frederick , Mills Ken I , Mayer Jiří , Thiede Christian , Voso Maria Teresa , Amadori Sergio , Sanz Guillermo , Calado Frederico , Döhner Konstanze , Gaidzik Verena I , Heuser Michael , Haferlach Torsten , Turki Amin T. , Reinhardt Dirk , Villoria Medina Rubén , van Speybroeck Michel , Schulze-Rath Renate , Butler John E , Huntly Brian J.P , Hernández Rivas Jesús M , Bullinger Lars , Döhner Hartmut , Ossenkoppele Gert J. 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Background: The development of new genetic profiling techniques such as Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) have helped to unravel the genomic landscape of a large number of hematological diseases. In acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML), many mutations have been found at diagnosis or during the course of the disease, either alone or in combination.
Nevertheless, the clinical significance of most of them has not been well established. That is particularly true regarding infrequent gene mutations and their co-mutations as they are underrepresented in most case series that have been analyzed so far. The big data platform of HARMONY alliance provides the excellent basis for addressing this problem as it assimilates clinical and genomic information about AML patients from over 100 organisations in 18 European countries comprising more than 5000 patients. Anonymised and harmonized using OMOP standards, data collected in HARMONY are optimal for studying the impact of gene-gene-interactions overcoming differences related to data providers.
Aims: To identify clinically significant genetic patterns of 2 or more concurrent mutations using the Harmony alliance AML database
Methods: From the HARMONY alliance database, we selected ~3600 AML patients with NGS molecular panel analysis.
We first performed survival analysis between each gene combination and then we rendered those with statistically significant differences in one easy-to-read graph using the Gephi platform (Fig. A). We then highlighted promising or unexpected associations and analyzed them one by one in greater detail. Finally, these results were validated on an independent cohort.
Results: We found that the co-mutation of RAD21 (RAD21mut) in DNMT3A mutated (DNMT3Amut) AML impacted outcome compared to DNMT3Amut alone patients (Fig. B, 3-year survival, 81% vs 52%, p=0.016). However, this effect was exclusively seen in allogeneic transplant recipients.
In order to identify possible bias that could be generated if RAD21mut were associated with other well-known favorable prognosis mutations, we compared the frequency of each mutation in our DNMT3Amut / RAD21mut subgroup with the global AML cohort. NPM1 co-mutation was more frequent in the DNMT3Amut / RAD21mut group (Fig. C 3, 84% of patients with NPM1 mutation (NPM1mut) vs 26% in the global cohort), potentially explaining the higher survival.
Next, we tried to isolate the positive effect of NPM1 on outcome by comparing DNMT3Amut / NPM1mut patients with and without the RAD21 co-mutation. This analysis showed a favorable outcome only in RAD21mut patients compared to RAD21 wildtype (Fig. D, 3-year survival, 83% in RAD21mut / DNMT3Amut / NPM1mut vs 50% in DNMT3Amut / NPM1mut with RAD21 wildtype, p=0.016), one more time only in allogeneic transplant recipients.
Finally in order to validate our results we reproduced this study from the beginning using an independent cohort of 3125 AML patients. The Gephi graph confirmed an association of DNMT3Amut / RAD21mut patients with better survival over DNMT3A alone (3 year-survival, 75% vs 37%, p&lt;0.001). NPM1 co-mutation was again more frequent in the good prognosis group (76% vs 27%) but comparing RAD21mut / DNMT3Amut / NPM1mut patients with DNMT3Amut / NPM1mut alone still revealed good prognosis to be related with RAD21mut (3 year-survival, 87.5% in patients with RAD21mut vs 38% with RAD21 wildtype, p&lt;0.001).
Conclusions: Using the HARMONY alliance database we tested for potential gene co-mutations in AML patients, often very infrequently represented in other studies. Our data suggest that RAD21mut has a positive effect on outcome in patients receiving an allogeneic transplant with concurrent mutation of DNMT3A and NPM1. Even though NPM1mut is much more frequent in the DNMT3Amut / RAD21mut group, its association with favourable outcome seems to depend on the presence of an additional RAD21mut
Keywords: AML , gene combinations, RAD21, DNMT3A, NPM1, HARMONY, big data.
Figure: Graphical results. A. View obtained from the Gephi platform with the gene combinations and their effect on survival. B. Survival curves respectively of the DNMT3A+RAD21 cohort and the DNMT3A-only one.
1. Representation of the proportions of each mutation in the overall cohort (red) compared to the DNMT3A+RAD21 cohort (blue). D. Survival curves respectively of the NPM1+DNMT3A+RAD21 cohort and the NPM1+DNMT3A one.
Figure 1 Figure 1.

Disclosures
Sobas: Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria. Heckman: Novartis: Research Funding; Orion Pharma: Research Funding; Celgene/BMS: Research Funding; Oncopeptides: Consultancy, Research Funding; Kronos Bio, Inc.: Research Funding. Ayala: Incyte Corporation: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astellas: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria. Dombret: Amgen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Incyte: Honoraria, Research Funding; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria, Research Funding; Servier: Research Funding; Abbvie: Honoraria; Daiichi Sankyo: Honoraria; BMS-Celgene: Honoraria. Sierra: Abbvie: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; BMS Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Astellas: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Honoraria; Roche: Other: Educational grant; Janssen: Other: Educational grant; Amgen: Other: Educational grant; Alexion: Other: Educational grant. Mayer: Principia: Research Funding. Voso: Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Speakers Bureau. Sanz: Helsinn Healthcare: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Boehringer Ingelheim: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel, accommodations, and expenses; Takeda: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel, accommodations, and expenses, Speakers Bureau; Gilead Sciences: Other: Travel, accommodations, and expenses; Abbvie: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel, accommodations, and expenses, Research Funding. Calado: Novartis: Current Employment. Döhner: Janssen: Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board; Jazz Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Astellas: Research Funding; Agios and Astex: Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board; Celgene/BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Gaidzik: Janssen: Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Speakers Bureau; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Heuser: AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Jazz: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Karyopharm: Research Funding; BergenBio: Research Funding; BMS/Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Tolremo: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astellas: Research Funding; Bayer Pharma AG: Research Funding. Haferlach: MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Other: Part ownership. Turki: Jazz Pharma: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; MSD: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; CSL Behring: Consultancy. Schulze-Rath: Bayer: Current Employment. Hernández Rivas: Celgene/BMS: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Bullinger: Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Hexal: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Menarini: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; Astellas: Honoraria; Sanofi: Honoraria; Seattle Genetics: Honoraria; Bayer: Research Funding. Döhner: Jazz: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria; GEMoaB: Honoraria; Astellas: Honoraria, Research Funding; Astex: Honoraria; Agios: Honoraria, Research Funding; Abbvie: Honoraria, Research Funding; Roche: Honoraria; Pfizer: Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Oxford Biomedicals: Honoraria; Helsinn: Honoraria; BMS: Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Honoraria; Berlin-Chemie: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria, Research Funding. Ossenkoppele: Servier: Consultancy, Honoraria; Agios: Consultancy, Honoraria; Abbvie, AGIOS, BMS/Celgene Astellas,AMGEN, Gilead,Servier,JAZZ,Servier Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Jazz: Consultancy, Honoraria; BMS/Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Astellas: Consultancy, Honoraria; Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria.