Etiologic Investigation of Cancer Susceptibility in Inherited Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes: A Natural History Study
Summary
Background: A prospective cohort of Inherited Bone Marrow Failure Syndrome (IBMFS) will provide new information regarding cancer rates and types in these disorders. Pathogenic variant(s) in IBMFS genes are relevant to carcinogenesis in sporadic cancers. Patients with IBMFS who develop cancer differ in their genetic and/or environmental features from patients with IBMFS who do not develop cancer. These cancer-prone families are well suited for cancer screening and prevention trials targeting those at increased genetic risk of cancer. Carriers of IBMFS pathogenic variant(s) are at increased risk of cancer. The prototype disorder is Fanconi's Anemia (FA); other IBMFS will also be studied. Objectives: To determine the types and incidence of specific cancers in patients with an IBMFS. To investigate the relevance of IBMFS pathogenic variant(s) in the carcinogenesis pathway of the sporadic counterparts of IBMFS-associated cancers. To identify risk factors for IBMFS-related cancers in addition to the primary germline pathogenic variant(s). To determine the risk of cancer in IBMFS carriers. Eligibility: North American families with a proband with an IBMFS. IBMFS suspected by phenotype, confirmed by pathogenic variant(s) in an IBMFS gene, or by clinical diagnostic test. Fanconi's anemia: birth defects, marrow failure, early onset malignancy; positive chromosome breakage result. Diamond-Blackfan anemia: pure red cell aplasia; elevated red cell adenosine deaminase. Dyskeratosis congenita: dysplastic nails, lacey pigmentation, leukoplakia; marrow failure. Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome: malabsorption; neutropenia. Amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia: early onset thrombocytopenia. Thrombocytopenia absent radii: absent radii; early onset thrombocytopenia. Severe Congenital Neutropenia: neutropenia, pyogenic infections, bone marrow maturation arrest. Pearson's Syndrome: malabsorption, neutropenia, marrow failure, metabolic acidosis; ringed sideroblasts. Other bone marrow failure syndromes: e.g. Revesz Syndrome, WT, IVIC, radio-ulnar synostosis, ataxia-pancytopenia. First degree relatives of IBMFS-affected subjects as defined here, i.e. siblings (half or full), biologic parents, and children. Grandparents of IBMFS-affected subjects. Patients in the general population with sporadic tumors of the types seen in the IBMFS (head and neck, gastrointestinal, and anogenital cancer), with none of the usual risk factors (e.g. smoking, drinking, HPV). Design: Natural history study, with questionnaires, clinical evaluations, clinical and research laboratory test, review of medical records, cancer surveillance. Primary endpoints are all cancers, solid tumors, and cancers specific to each type of IBMFS. Secondary endpoints are markers of pre-malignant conditions, such as leukoplakia, serum or tissue evidence of carcinogenic viruses, and bone marrow morphologic myelodyplastic syndrome or cytogenetic clones.
Detailed description
Study Description: This is a natural history study involving questionnaires, clinical and research evaluations, clinical and research laboratory tests, review of medical records, cancer surveillance. A prospective cohort of Inherited Bone Marrow Failure Syndrome (IBMFS) will provide new information regarding cancer rates and types in these disorders. Pathogenic variant(s) in IBMFS genes are relevant to carcinogenesis in sporadic cancers. This study will determine whether patients with IBMFS who develop cancer differ in their genetic and/or environmental features from patients with IBMFS who do not develop cancer. These cancer-prone families are well suited for cancer screening and prevention trials targeting those at increased genetic risk of cancer. Carriers of IBMFS gene pathogenic variant(s) are at increased risk of cancer. The prototype disorder is Fanconi Anemia (FA); other IBMFS will also be studied. Objectives: To determine the types and incidence of specific cancers in patients with an IBMFS. To investigate the relevance of IBMFS gene pathogenic variants in the carcinogenesis pathway of the sporadic counterparts of IBMFS-associated cancers. To identify risk factors for IBMFS-related cancers in addition to the primary germline pathogenic variant(s). To determine the risk of cancer in IBMFS carriers. Endpoints: Primary Endpoint: -All cancers, solid tumors, and cancers specific to each type of IBMFS. Secondary Endpints: -Secondary endpoints are markers of pre-malignant conditions, such as leukoplakia, serum or tissue evidence of carcinogenic viruses, and bone marrow morphologic myelodyplastic syndrome or cytogenetic clones.
Arms & interventions
Outcome measures
Primary
Cohort of Families with IBMFS
Establish a cohort of families with IBMFS
Time frame: Ongoing
Biology of Patients Compared with Healthy Controls
Compare biology of IBMFS patients with general populations
Time frame: Ongoing
Differences Between Patients and Healthy Controls
Identify differences between patients with IBMFS who develop cancer and those who don't
Time frame: Ongoing
Risk of Cancer with Specific Mutations
Determine risk of cancer in IBMFS patients with specific gene mutations
Time frame: Ongoing
Eligibility criteria
Study locations (2)
National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
Bethesda, Maryland, 20892
National Cancer Institute - Shady Grove
Rockville, Maryland, 20850
References
- Vlachos A, Rosenberg PS, Atsidaftos E, Alter BP, Lipton JM. Incidence of neoplasia in Diamond Blackfan anemia: a report from the Diamond Blackfan Anemia Registry. Blood. 2012 Apr 19;119(16):3815-9. doi: 10.1182/blood-2011-08-375972. Epub 2012 Feb 23.(PubMed)
- Alter BP, Rosenberg PS, Giri N, Baerlocher GM, Lansdorp PM, Savage SA. Telomere length is associated with disease severity and declines with age in dyskeratosis congenita. Haematologica. 2012 Mar;97(3):353-9. doi: 10.3324/haematol.2011.055269. Epub 2011 Nov 4.(PubMed)
- Alter BP, Giri N, Savage SA, Rosenberg PS. Cancer in the National Cancer Institute inherited bone marrow failure syndrome cohort after fifteen years of follow-up. Haematologica. 2018 Jan;103(1):30-39. doi: 10.3324/haematol.2017.178111. Epub 2017 Oct 19.(PubMed)
- Niknafs AM, Giri N, Niewisch MR, Savage SA. Avascular Necrosis and Minimal Trauma Fractures in Telomere Biology Disorders. Clin Genet. 2026 Feb;109(2):286-293. doi: 10.1111/cge.70038. Epub 2025 Aug 5.(PubMed)
- Thompson AS, Niewisch MR, Giri N, McReynolds LJ, Savage SA. Germline RTEL1 Variants in Telomere Biology Disorders. Am J Med Genet A. 2025 Feb;197(2):e63882. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.a.63882. Epub 2024 Sep 16.(PubMed)
- Raj HA, Lai TP, Niewisch MR, Giri N, Wang Y, Spellman SR, Aviv A, Gadalla SM, Savage SA. The distribution and accumulation of the shortest telomeres in telomere biology disorders. Br J Haematol. 2023 Dec;203(5):820-828. doi: 10.1111/bjh.18945. Epub 2023 Jun 24.(PubMed)
- Bourke G, Wilks D, Kinsey S, Feltbower RG, Giri N, Alter BP. The incidence and spectrum of congenital hand differences in patients with Fanconi anaemia: analysis of 48 patients. J Hand Surg Eur Vol. 2022 Jul;47(7):711-715. doi: 10.1177/17531934221087521. Epub 2022 Mar 31.(PubMed)
- Thompson AS, Giri N, Gianferante DM, Jones K, Savage SA, Alter BP, McReynolds LJ. Shwachman Diamond syndrome: narrow genotypic spectrum and variable clinical features. Pediatr Res. 2022 Dec;92(6):1671-1680. doi: 10.1038/s41390-022-02009-8. Epub 2022 Mar 23.(PubMed)
- Niewisch MR, Giri N, McReynolds LJ, Alsaggaf R, Bhala S, Alter BP, Savage SA. Disease progression and clinical outcomes in telomere biology disorders. Blood. 2022 Mar 24;139(12):1807-1819. doi: 10.1182/blood.2021013523.(PubMed)
- Brodie SA, Khincha PP, Giri N, Bouk AJ, Steinberg M, Dai J, Jessop L, Donovan FX, Chandrasekharappa SC, de Andrade KC, Maric I, Ellis SR, Mirabello L, Alter BP, Savage SA. Pathogenic germline IKZF1 variant alters hematopoietic gene expression profiles. Cold Spring Harb Mol Case Stud. 2021 Aug 2;7(4):a006015. doi: 10.1101/mcs.a006015. Print 2021 Aug.(PubMed)
- Qanash H, Li Y, Smith RH, Linask K, Young-Baird S, Hakami W, Keyvanfar K, Choy JS, Zou J, Larochelle A. Eltrombopag Improves Erythroid Differentiation in a Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Model of Diamond Blackfan Anemia. Cells. 2021 Mar 26;10(4):734. doi: 10.3390/cells10040734.(PubMed)
- Bhar S, Zhou F, Reineke LC, Morris DK, Khincha PP, Giri N, Mirabello L, Bergstrom K, Lemon LD, Williams CL, Toh Y, Elghetany MT, Lloyd RE, Alter BP, Savage SA, Bertuch AA. Expansion of germline RPS20 mutation phenotype to include Diamond-Blackfan anemia. Hum Mutat. 2020 Nov;41(11):1918-1930. doi: 10.1002/humu.24092. Epub 2020 Aug 30.(PubMed)
- Brodie SA, Rodriguez-Aulet JP, Giri N, Dai J, Steinberg M, Waterfall JJ, Roberson D, Ballew BJ, Zhou W, Anzick SL, Jiang Y, Wang Y, Zhu YJ, Meltzer PS, Boland J, Alter BP, Savage SA. 1q21.1 deletion and a rare functional polymorphism in siblings with thrombocytopenia-absent radius-like phenotypes. Cold Spring Harb Mol Case Stud. 2019 Dec 13;5(6):a004564. doi: 10.1101/mcs.a004564. Print 2019 Dec.(PubMed)
- Mirabello L, Khincha PP, Ellis SR, Giri N, Brodie S, Chandrasekharappa SC, Donovan FX, Zhou W, Hicks BD, Boland JF, Yeager M, Jones K, Zhu B, Wang M, Alter BP, Savage SA. Novel and known ribosomal causes of Diamond-Blackfan anaemia identified through comprehensive genomic characterisation. J Med Genet. 2017 Jun;54(6):417-425. doi: 10.1136/jmedgenet-2016-104346. Epub 2017 Mar 9.(PubMed)
- Giri N, Alter BP, Penrose K, Falk RT, Pan Y, Savage SA, Williams M, Kemp TJ, Pinto LA. Immune status of patients with inherited bone marrow failure syndromes. Am J Hematol. 2015 Aug;90(8):702-8. doi: 10.1002/ajh.24046. Epub 2015 May 28.(PubMed)