Association of CD123 expression with high-risk disease characteristics in pediatric AML

CD123 is the alpha chain of the interleukin 3 receptor and is overexpressed in a variety of adult hematologic malignancies, including AML. Increased CD123 surface expression has been associated with high-risk disease characteristics in adult AML, but has not been well-characterized in childhood AML. Analyses in the cohort of the phase 3 AAML1031 study by the Children’s Oncology Group found that in children with newly diagnosed AML increased CD123 surface expression was associated with high-risk disease characteristics and poor outcomes. The authors conclude that CD123 is a critical biomarker and promising target for children with relapsed or refractory AML.