CLLU1 expression has prognostic value in chronic lymphocytic leukemia after first-line therapy in younger patients and in those with mutated IGHV genes

CLLU1, located at chromosome 12q22, encodes a transcript specific to chronic lymphocytic leukemia and has potential prognostic value. We assessed the value of CLLU1 expression in the LRF CLL4 randomized trial. Samples from 515 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia were collected immediately before the start of treatment. After RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis, CLLU1 expression was assessed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. In total, 247 and 268 samples were identified as having low and high CLLU1 expression, respectively. The median follow-up was 88 months. High CLLU1 expression was significantly correlated with unmutated IGHV genes, ZAP-70 and CD38 positivity, and absence of 13q deletion (all r>0.2, P<0.0001). At 6 years, patients with high CLLU1 expression had significantly worse progression-free survival (9% versus 17%; P=0.03) and overall survival (42% versus 57%; P=0.0003) than patients with low CLLU1 expression. Among patients with mutated IGHV genes, overall survival at 6 years was 50% in those with high CLLU1 expression and 76% in those with low CLLU1 expression (P=0.005). However, CLLU1 expression was not an independent predictor of overall survival in a multivariate model including TP53 aberrations, beta-2 microglobulin level, age and IGHV mutation status. Nor did it predict response to treatment. CLLU1 expression analysis helps to refine the prognosis of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who have mutated IGHV genes.