Frequency of MYD88 L256P mutation and its correlation with clinico-hematological profile in mature B-cell neoplasm

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: B-cell neoplasms are clonal tumors of B cells at various stages of maturation, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), chronic lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL), Burkitt lymphoma (BL), lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL)/Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM), splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL), nodal marginal zone lymphoma (NMZL), mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), follicular lymphoma (FL), and hairy cell leukemia (HCL). In this study, we analyzed the frequency of MYD88 L265P mutation and its correlation with clinico-hematological profile in mature B-cell neoplasms. METHODS: A total of 110 consecutive cases of B-cell neoplasms showing peripheral blood and/or bone marrow infiltration were included. MYD88 L265P mutation was detected by polymerase chain reaction amplification of exon 5 of MYD88 gene, followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. RESULTS: Among the 110 cases, the major group was of CLL (54.5%, n = 60), followed by HCL. Other cases included MCL, LPL, DLBCL, SMZL, NMZL, FL, and BL. MYD88 L265P mutation was seen in 21 (19.1%) cases of B-cell neoplasm, whereas 89 (80.9%) cases were negative for MYD88 L265P mutation. It was most commonly seen in LPL/WM cases followed by HCL, SMZL, CLL, and MCL cases. No case of DLBCL, FL, and BL showed MYD88 L265P mutation. Statistically significant difference was seen for hemoglobin level in CLL cases, with MYD88 L265P mutated cases showing higher mean hemoglobin levels than MYD88 wild-type cases (p = .001). For other parameters, no statistically significant difference was noted between mutated and unmutated cases. CONCLUSION: MYD88 L265P mutation is seen in various B-cell neoplasms; it is most commonly seen in LPL/WM cases but not specific for it.