Intensifying Treatment of Childhood B-Lymphoblastic Leukemia With <i>IKZF1</i> Deletion Reduces Relapse and Improves Overall Survival: Results of Malaysia-Singapore ALL 2010 Study

Purpose Although IKZF1 deletion ( IKZF1^del) confers a higher risk of relapse in childhood B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), it is uncertain whether treatment intensification will reverse this risk and improve outcomes. The Malaysia-Singapore ALL 2010 study (MS2010) prospectively upgraded the risk assignment of patients with IKZF1^del to the next highest level and added imatinib to the treatment of all patients with BCR- ABL1 fusion. Patients and Methods In total, 823 patients with B-ALL treated in the Malyasia-Singapore ALL 2003 study (MS2003; n = 507) and MS2010 (n = 316) were screened for IKZF1^del using the multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification assay. The impact of IKZF1^del on the 5-year cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) was compared between the two studies. Results Patient characteristics were similar in both cohorts, including IKZF1^del frequencies (59 of 410 [14.4%] v 50 of 275 [18.2%]; P = .2). In MS2003, where IKZF1^del was not used in risk assignment, IKZF1^del conferred a significantly higher 5-year CIR (30.4% v 8.1%; P = 8.7 × 10^-7), particularly in the intermediate-risk group who lacked high-risk features (25.0% v 7.5%; P = .01). For patients with BCR-ABL1-negative disease, IKZF1^del conferred a higher 5-year CIR (20.5% v 8.0%; P = .01). In MS2010, the 5-year CIR of patients with IKZF1^del significantly decreased to 13.5% ( P = .05) and no longer showed a significant difference in patients with BCR-ABL1-negative disease (11.4% v 4.4%; P = .09). The 5-year overall survival for patients with IKZF1^del improved from 69.6% in MS2003 to 91.6% in MS2010 ( P = .007). Conclusion Intensifying therapy for childhood B-ALL with IKZF1^del significantly reduced the risk of relapse and improved overall survival. Incorporating IKZF1^del screening significantly improved treatment outcomes in contemporary ALL therapy.