NPM1A in plasma is a potential prognostic biomarker in acute myeloid leukemia

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate whether nucleophosmin type A mutation (NPM1A) in plasma was associated with the prognosis of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Methods: Plasma NPM1A levels were investigated in 80 AML patients, 22 patients with benign hematopathy and 12 healthy donors by qRT-PCR. Additionally, the relationship between NPM1A levels and clinic characteristics were evaluated by Chisquare test. Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS), and univariate and multivariate analyses were performed with Cox proportional hazard model. Results: Plasma levels of NPM1A in AML patients were significantly higher than those in benign hematopathy patients and healthy controls, respectively (both P<0.001). Additionally, high NPM1A level was significantly associated with higher WBC and platelet count (both, P<0.05). Moreover, survival analysis revealed that patients with high NPM1A levels had worse OS (P<0.001) and RFS (P<0.001). Multivariate analysis identified NPM1A as an independent prognostic predictor for AML (OS: HR=8.214, 95%CI: 2.974-22.688, P<0.001; RFS: HR=4.640, 95%CI: 1.825-11.795, P=0.001). Conclusions: Results reveal that NPM1A in plasma could serve as an ideal tool for predicting the prognosis of patients with AML.