title: Wilms tumor 1 gene mutations in patients with cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to assess the prognostic impact of Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) mutations in cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia (CN-AML) among Egyptian patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Exons 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, and 9 of WT1 were screened for mutations in samples from 82 CN-AML patients out of 203 newly diagnosed AML patients, of age ranging from 21 to 74 years, using high-resolution capillary electrophoresis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eleven patients out of 82 (13.41%) harbored WT1 mutations. Mutations were detected in exon 7 (n=7), exon 9 (n=2), exon 8 (n=1), and exon 3 (n=1), but not in exons 1 or 2. There was no statistically significant difference between the WT1 mutants and wild types as regards age, sex, French-American-British subtypes, and the prevalence of success of induction remission therapy (p=0.966; 28.6% vs. 29.3%). Patients with WT1 mutations had overall survival lower than patients with the wild type (HR=1.38; 95% CI 4.79-6.86; p=0.004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CN-AML patients with WT1 mutations have poor clinical outcome. We recommend molecular testing for WT1 mutations in patients with CN-AML at diagnosis in order to improve risk stratification of those patients.
authors.affiliation: Mansoura University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Pathology, Hematology Unit, Mansoura, Egypt.
authors.forename: Salah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aref
authors.affiliation: Mansoura University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Pathology, Hematology Unit, Mansoura, Egypt.
authors.forename: Solafa El
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Sharawy
authors.affiliation: Mansoura University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Pathology, Hematology Unit, Mansoura, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sabry
authors.affiliation: Mansoura University Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura Cancer Institute, Clinical Hematology Unit, Mansoura, Egypt.
authors.forename: Emad
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Azmy
authors.affiliation: Mansoura University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Pathology, Hematology Unit, Mansoura, Egypt.
authors.forename: Dalia Abdel
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Raouf
authors.affiliation: Mansoura University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Pathology, Hematology Unit, Mansoura, Egypt.
authors.forename: Nadia El
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Menshawy
keywords: Acute myeloid leukemia; Cytogenetically normal; Mutations; Wilms tumor 1 gene; prognosis