Adam Olszewski, MD
Biography
Advance-CTR Pilot Projects Program (2017)
"Clonal Hematopoiesis in Recipients of Myelotoxic Therapy for Solid Tumors"
Clonal Hematopoiesis of Indeterminate Potential (CHIP) is a newly discovered disorder, manifesting as presence of small (>2% of blood cells) population of blood cells, which harbor genetic mutations similar to those found in myeloid cancers: myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia. CHIP can be detected in ~10% of otherwise healthy individuals older than 60 years, and in recent studies it has been associated with increased risk of MDS and leukemia. Interestingly, exposure to chemotherapy during curative treatment for certain cancers is also associated with increased risk of future MDS and leukemia, typically after 3-7 years from the initial cancer therapy. Therefore, we hypothesize that CHIP may be more frequent among patients exposed to chemotherapy delivered as part of their prior cancer treatment. This increase might be in turn responsible for the increased risk of future MDS or leukemia.