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STAT3 mutations are frequent in CD30+ T-cell lymphomas and T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia

Leukemia volume 27, pages 2244–2247 (2013)Cite this article

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Recently, novel STAT3 (Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3)-activating mutations have been identified in T-cell large granular lymphocytic (T-LGL) leukemia. However, the prevalence and specificity of STAT3 mutations in other T-cell neoplasms, in which the STAT3 pathway is also active, are unknown. As such, we sequenced STAT3 in 95 diverse T-cell malignancies including T-LGL leukemia, Sezary syndrome, anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), CD30+ lymphoproliferative disorders in the skin and other peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) to assess the prevalence of STAT3 mutations. Such mutations are present not only in T-LGL leukemia, but also in a subset of T-cell lymphomas where CD30 is highly overexpressed: two cases of CD30+ ALK-negative ALCL, and two cases of CD30+ PTCL. Our results demonstrate that STAT3 mutations are not only frequent in T-LGL leukemia, but also in a subset of CD30+ T-cell lymphomas.

STAT3 is a transcription factor and oncogene that has been shown to have a critical role in cellular proliferation through cytokine and growth factor pathways.1 While disruptive mutations in STAT3 result in hyper-IgE syndrome,2 activating mutations have been shown to be associated with a subset of cases of T-LGL leukemia,3 as well as chronic lymphoproliferative disorders of natural killer cells.4 STAT3 activity has also been described as augmented in other T-cell malignancies such as ALCL5 and Sezary syndrome.6 Given these associations, we hypothesized that activating STAT3 mutations may be present in other T-cell malignancies beyond T-LGL leukemia.

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Acknowledgements

RSO is a College of American Pathologist’s Research Scholar. This work was supported through funding from the Stanford Department of Pathology.

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  1. Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA, USA

    R S Ohgami, L Ma, J D Merker, B Martinez, J L Zehnder & D A Arber

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  1. R S Ohgami
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  2. L Ma
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  3. J D Merker
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Correspondence to R S Ohgami.

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Ohgami, R., Ma, L., Merker, J. et al. STAT3 mutations are frequent in CD30+ T-cell lymphomas and T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia. Leukemia 27, 2244–2247 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/leu.2013.104

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