and mutations are enriched in distinct subgroups of mixed phenotype acute leukemia with T-lineage differentiation.

The genetic aberrations that drive mixed phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL) remain largely unknown, with the exception of a small subset of MPALs harboring and translocations. We performed clinicopathologic and genetic evaluation of 52 presumptive MPAL cases at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Only 29 out of 52 (56%) cases were confirmed to be bona fide MPAL according to the 2016 World Heath Organization classification. We identified and mutations as the most common recurrent mutations in MPAL, each occurring in 6 out of 26 (23%) cases. These mutations are mutually exclusive of each other and / translocations. - and -mutated MPAL showed marked predilection for T-lineage differentiation (5/6 mutated, 6/6 mutated). -mutated MPAL occurred in a younger patient cohort compared with -mutated cases (median age, 27 years vs 61 years, < .01). All 3 MPAL cases with both T- and B-lineage differentiation harbored mutations. MPAL with T-lineage differentiation was associated with nodal or extramedullary involvement (9/15 [60%] vs 0, = .001) and a higher relapse incidence (78% vs 22%, = .017) compared with those without T-lineage differentiation. Sequencing studies on flow-cytometry-sorted populations demonstrated that mutations are present in all blast compartments regardless of lineage differentiation with high variant allele frequency, implicating as an early mutation in MPAL pathogenesis. In conclusion, and mutations are the most common somatic alterations identified in MPAL and appear to define 2 distinct subgroups of MPAL with T-lineage differentiation with inferior outcomes.