PlentiPlex™ MYD88 Waldenström lymphoma qPCR assay: A highly sensitive method for detection of MYD88 L265P mutation

Int J Lab Hematol. 2024 Feb 23. doi: 10.1111/ijlh.14255. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Introduction: Agarose gel-based conventional and real-time allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (AS-PCR) assays are currently used for sensitive detection and quantification of MYD88 L265P mutation. Visual inspection of an agarose gel can often be ambiguous. We propose a new allele-specific quantification PCR (AS-qPCR) assay, PlentiPlex™ MYD88 Waldenström lymphoma qPCR assay, that uses Intercalating Nucleic Acid (INA®) technology for increased affinity and specificity.

Methods: This study compares PlentiPlex™ MYD88 Waldenström lymphoma qPCR assay with conventional AS-PCR. We included a total of 102 peripheral and bone marrow blood samples from 94 patients with a lymphoproliferative disorder. Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) was used as a third method in case of discrepancy.

Results: A positive percent agreement of 100% (95% CI 0.92-1.0) and a negative percent agreement of 98% (95% CI 0.90-1.0) were found between the conventional AS-PCR and the AS-qPCR methods. Including the ddPCR results to validate the discrepant cases, the sensitivity and specificity of PlentiPlex™ MYD88 Waldenström lymphoma qPCR Assay were 1.0 (95% CI 0.97-1.0) and 1.0 (95% CI 0.96-1.0), respectively.

Conclusion: Our data demonstrate that PlentiPlex™ MYD88 Waldenström lymphoma qPCR assay is a fast, highly sensitive, and specific method for the detection of MYD88 L265P compared with conventional AS-PCR.

Keywords: IgM monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS); Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM); allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (AS-PCR); chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL); droplet digital PCR (ddPCR); lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL); marginal zone lymphoma (MZL); multiple myeloma (MM); myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MYD88).