Therapy-related acute myeloid leukaemia (t-AML) is a complication of cytotoxic chemotherapy. New research suggests that TP53 mutations are acquired by haematopoietic stem–progenitor cells (HSPCs) prior to chemotherapy, and are clonally selected by cytotoxic therapy, to initiate t-AML. Genome sequencing of 22 patients with t-AML showed no chemotherapy-related, genome-wide DNA damage. TP53 mutations identified in t-AML were seen in samples banked prior to chemotherapy, and TP53 mutations were also found in HSPCs in healthy individuals.
References
Wong, T. N. et al. Role of TP53 mutations in the origin and evolution of therapy-related acute myeloid leukaemia. Nature 10.1038/nature13968
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Chemotherapy induces clonal selection of TP53 mutations. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 12, 64 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrclinonc.2014.231
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrclinonc.2014.231
