Impact of the presence and number of chromosomal abnormalities on the clinical outcome in Waldenström Macroglobulinemia: a monocentric experience

The prognostic and predictive role of specific gene mutations in Waldenström Macroglobulinemia (WM) is well-ascertained whereas the clinical impact of chromosome aberrations is far less known. Recent work has provided initial evidence for an adverse prognostic impact of some aberrations, such as del(6q), while other studies suggest a possible relationship between some clinical features (e.g. advanced age and/or inflammatory status) and specific cytogenetic abnormalities. To add to the still limited knowledge on WM cytogenetics and its clinical implications, we herein report our experience in a cohort of WM patients across 23 years. Based on our retrospective study, we found that abnormal karyotype was more represented in older patients and maintained a statistically significant independence from other molecular, clinical, and biological features related to WM. The presence and number of cytogenetic aberrations correlated with inferior overall and progression-free survival outcomes regardless of the type of single chromosome aberration. Our data suggests that the role of the altered karyotype deserves to be further clarified especially in elderly WM patients, in whom cytogenetic abnormalities and disease biology appear to be characterized by a higher degree of complexity.