Common clonal origin of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in a patient with a germline CHEK2 variant

Abstract

Hematological malignancies are broadly divided into myeloid and lymphoid neoplasms, reflecting the two major cellular lineages of the hematopoietic system. It is generally rare for hematological malignancies to spontaneously progress with a switch from myeloid to lymphoid lineage. We describe the exceptional case of a patient who sequentially developed myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), as well as our investigation into the underlying pathogenesis. Using whole-exome sequencing (WES) performed on sorted CMML and B-ALL cell fractions, we identified both common and unique potential driver mutations, suggesting a branching clonal evolution giving rise to both diseases. Interestingly, we also identified a germline variant in the cancer susceptibility gene CHEK2 We validated that this variant (c.475T > C; p.Y159H), located in the forkhead-associated (FHA) domain, impairs its capacity to bind BRCA1 in cellulo. This unique case provides novel insight into the genetics of complex hematological diseases and highlights the possibility that such patients may carry inherited predispositions.