p53 Lesions in Leukemic Transformation

To the Editor: Myeloproliferative neoplasms have an inherent tendency toward leukemic transformation. The genetic mechanisms of transformation remain largely unknown. We analyzed biopsy specimens of myeloproliferative neoplastic tissue from 330 patients for chromosomal aberrations associated with leukemic transformation (the analysis was performed with the use of Genome-Wide Human SNP [single-nucleotide polymorphism] Array, Affymetrix). Of those patients, 308 had chronic-phase myeloproliferative neoplasms and 22 had postmyeloproliferative-phase neoplasm secondary acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Among these 22 patients, 1 carried the myeloproliferative leukemia virus oncogene (MPL) W515L and all others carried the Janus kinase 2 gene (JAK2) V617F mutation. . . .