Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Internal Medicine

Background: Hematopoietic malignancies are among the top ten cancers worldwide, despite the progress that has been made in the treatment of hematologic malignancies overall survival rates are still low and most patients still have a shorter lifespan. In recent years, accumulating data appreciate the role of epigenetics in the pathogenesis of hematologic malignancies. Objectives: Our objective was to search the literature about the role of epigenetic changes in pathogenesis and prognosis of hematologic malignancies and see how understanding of this role can be used for better management of hematologic malignancies. Methods: We comprehensively reviewed electronic databases including google, google scholar, PubMed and cochrane lLibrary about the role of epigenetic changes in hematologic malignancies. Results and conclusion: Epigenetic changes play a fundamental role in pathogenesis of hematologic malignancies. Mutations involving epigenetic regulating genes like DNMTs, TET1/2, EZH2, IDH1/2 and ASXL1 recurrently occur in hematologic malignancies and sometimes these mutations represent the drive event in the development of hematologic malignancies. Presence of these changes in hematologic malignancies indicates poor prognosis, epigenetic drugs are very promising in treating hematologic malignancies. More researches in this field hopefully will lead to production of more efficient treatments for hematologic malignancies

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