Adolescent and young adults (AYAs) with chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (CML-CP) reportedly respond worse to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) than adults, potentially due to additional genetic abnormalities, including mutations in cancer-related genes (CRGs). This real-life study compared mutation profiles and their impact on outcomes in 80 AYA, 97 adult, and 16 pediatric CML-CP patients, alongside 81 BCR::ABL1-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL) patients. CRG mutations were more frequent in AYAs (25.0%) than in adults (19.6%) or children (12.5%). AYAs with Ph+ ALL exhibited higher mutational frequencies (53.3%) compared to children (26.7%) and adults (38.9%). At diagnosis, mutations in ASXL1, DNMT3A, and TET2 dominated in CML-CP and RUNX1, IKZF1, and BCR::ABL1 in Ph+ ALL. ASXL1 mutations correlated with reduced progression-free survival (PFS) in AYAs and adults. Unlike adults, AYAs showed no increase in BCR::ABL1 kinase domain mutations during TKI therapy. Nilotinib improved PFS in AYAs with ASXL1 mutations, highlighting the efficacy of higher-generation TKIs. ASXL1 mutations also impaired erythropoiesis, warranting further validation. Despite a higher mutational burden, AYAs did not exhibit worse prognoses than adults. Lower mutation rates at follow-up suggest potential impact of nilotinib. Mutation profiling and optimized TKI use are crucial to mitigate progression risks in CRG-mutated patients.

2nd Faculty of Medicine Charles University Prague Czech Republic

CLIP Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology 2nd Faculty of Medicine Charles University and University Hospital Motol Prague Czech Republic

Institute of Clinical and Experimental Hematology of the 1st Faculty of Medicine Charles University and Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion Prague Czech Republic

Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion Prague Czech Republic

Institute of Pathological Physiology 1st Faculty of Medicine Charles University Prague Czech Republic

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