Ken Young
Overview:
I am a clinically-oriented diagnostic physician with clinical expertise in the pathologic diagnosis of hematologic cancers including tumors of the bone marrow, lymphoid tissue, spleen and pre-malignant hematologic conditions. Another area of interest is blood cancer classification with molecular and genetic profiling. In my research program, we focus on molecular mechanisms of tumor progression, cell-of-origin, biomarkers, and novel therapeutic strategies in lymphoma, myeloma and leukemia. In addition to patient care and translational research, medical education and scientific communication are also part of interest. I provide persistent support for the physician-scientist program and Blood Cancer Pathology program in the department and cancer center. Many residents, fellows, graduates and postdocs have worked and been trained in our program. We perform comprehensive clinical and research functions that include bone marrow, lymphoma pathology, clinical flow cytometry, cytogenetics, molecular diagnostics and outside services.
I am currently the director of hematopathology division that provides diagnostic consultation services and relevant specialized testing for patients with various types of acute and chronic leukemia, lymphoma and benign hematologic disorders. I am specialized in the diagnosis of hematological disorders, including acute and chronic leukemias, myelodysplastic syndromes, myeloproliferative neoplasms, B and T-cell lymphomas, Hodgkin lymphoma, cutaneous and orbital lymphomas and benign bone marrow and lymph node disorders.
Our group has been supported by various funding resources since 2006 and has published 318 original peer-reviewed articles and 56 review articles, many in high- impact journals (Nature Clin Onc Rev, JCO, JAMA, Lancet, Blood, JHO, Leukemia and Clinical Cancer Research). The contributions to the hematology field include the development of novel diagnostic algorithms, molecular and genetic biomarkers for classification of blood cancer, lymphoid neoplasms and lymphoid diseases.
Positions:
Professor of Pathology
Pathology
School of Medicine
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute
Duke Cancer Institute
School of Medicine
Education:
M.D. 1984
Zhejiang University (China)
Ph.D. 1995
Lund University (Sweden)
Residency, Pathology
Oregon Health and Science University
Fellowship, Pathology
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Grants:
Spatially resolved, single cell biomarkers of B cell lymphoma
Administered By
Pathology
Awarded By
Cedars Sinai Medical Center
Role
Principal Investigator
Start Date
End Date
Role of SLAMF7 in Racial Disparities in t(11;14) myeloma
Administered By
Medicine, Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapy
Awarded By
National Cancer Institute
Role
Co Investigator
Start Date
End Date
Publications:
EBV-positive DLBCL frequently harbors somatic mutations associated with clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential.
Authors
Li, Y; Xu-Monette, ZY; Abramson, J; Sohani, AR; Bhagat, G; Tzankov, A; Visco, C; Zhang, S; Dybkaer, K; Pan, Z; Xu, M; Tam, W; Zu, Y; Hsi, ED; Hagemeister, FB; Go, H; van Krieken, JH; Winter, JN; Ponzoni, M; Ferreri, AJM; Møller, MB; Piris, MA; Wang, Y; Zhang, M; Young, KH
MLA Citation
Li, Yong, et al. “EBV-positive DLBCL frequently harbors somatic mutations associated with clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential.” Blood Adv, vol. 7, no. 7, Apr. 2023, pp. 1308–11. Pubmed, doi:10.1182/bloodadvances.2022008550.
URI
https://scholars.duke.edu/individual/pub1556665
PMID
36399513
Source
pubmed
Published In
Blood Adv
Volume
7
Published Date
Start Page
1308
End Page
1311
DOI
10.1182/bloodadvances.2022008550
Analysis of albumin as a prognostic factor in HHV-8/HIV-negative Castleman disease from a multicenter study.
As a rare lymphoproliferative disorder, many patients with HHV-8/HIV-negative Castleman disease (CD) have hypoalbuminemia. However, data is limited on whether hypoalbuminemia is an independent predictor of CD. We retrospectively collected data from 230 patients diagnosed at 12 medical centers in China and the U.S. Different classifications included 147 patients with unicentric CD (UCD) and 83 with idiopathic multicentric CD (iMCD). Adjusted smooth curve fitting showed that the relationship between albumin and all-cause death of patients with CD and iMCD was linear. Cox proportional hazards regression modeling showed a negative association between the risk of death and albumin level (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.84; 95% CI, 0.76, 0.93). Using the Kaplan-Meier method, we determined that hypoproteinemia was a risk factor for poorer prognosis in patients with CD, UCD, and iMCD. Albumin was independently and negatively associated with the risk of death in CD patients, especially those with iMCD.
Authors
Yu, T; Cai, Q-Q; Zhai, Q-L; Li, L; Fang, X; Li, J; Sun, R; Yang, H; Wang, Z; Qian, W; Xu-Monette, ZY; Young, KH; Yu, L
MLA Citation
Yu, Tiantian, et al. “Analysis of albumin as a prognostic factor in HHV-8/HIV-negative Castleman disease from a multicenter study.” Leuk Lymphoma, vol. 63, no. 13, Dec. 2022, pp. 3082–91. Pubmed, doi:10.1080/10428194.2022.2118528.
URI
https://scholars.duke.edu/individual/pub1535631
PMID
36074798
Source
pubmed
Published In
Leuk Lymphoma
Volume
63
Published Date
Start Page
3082
End Page
3091
DOI
10.1080/10428194.2022.2118528
Improving the prognostic ability of PET/CT SUVmax to identify follicular lymphoma with early treatment failure.
Follicular lymphoma (FL) has a high degree of heterogeneity both clinically and molecularly. Early treatment failure (ETF), progression or relapse within 24 months of frontline immunochemotherapy is associated with a poor prognosis in FL. However, the clinical utility of ETF at diagnosis is limited. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) is a metabolic parameter for positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT); nevertheless, the relationship between SUVmax and ETF remains unclear. Thus, identifying early biomarkers that incorporate SUVmax and other clinical correlative variables could be helpful in identifying patients at high risk of ETF. A nomogram consisted of three independent variables, including SUVmax ≥ 12, beta-2 microglobulin > 3 mg/L, and Ki67 > 40%, was established to predict ETF in 127 patients with grade 1, 2, or 3a FL from the First Hospital of Jilin University (training cohort) and was validated using data from the Duke University Medical Center (validation cohort, n=95). The nomogram demonstrated prognostic accuracy in predicting ETF (sensitivity 70.8% and specificity 83.5% in the training cohort; sensitivity 84.2% and specificity 68.4% in the validation cohort). The patients were stratified into three groups: low-, intermediate-, and high-risk. In the training cohort, the corresponding 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 81.7%, 73.4%, and 34.9%, and the 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 97.4%, 87.4%, and 62.3%, respectively. In the validation cohort, the 5-year PFS rates were 77.7%, 52.9%, and 34.8%, and the 5-year OS rates were 96.4%, 94.1%, and 73.7%, respectively. This was the first study to use a nomogram with SUVmax to predict ETF in FL to identify a subset of patients who might benefit from individualized targeted therapy.
MLA Citation
Wan, Xin, et al. “Improving the prognostic ability of PET/CT SUVmax to identify follicular lymphoma with early treatment failure.” American Journal of Cancer Research, vol. 12, no. 8, Jan. 2022, pp. 3857–69.
URI
https://scholars.duke.edu/individual/pub1547178
PMID
36119824
Source
epmc
Published In
American Journal of Cancer Research
Volume
12
Published Date
Start Page
3857
End Page
3869
Clinicopathologic Features and Genomic Signature of De Novo CD5 + Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma : A Multicenter Collaborative Study.
De novo CD5 + diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has poor survival in the era of immunochemotherapy. Accurate gene-based typing and prognostic stratification can enhance the development of effective individualized treatments. Therefore, we conducted a multicenter retrospective study to evaluate the clinicopathologic characteristics, genomic profiles, and prognostic parameters of 61 patients with CD5 + DLBCL and 60 patients with CD5 - DLBCL, with the goal of facilitating accurate prognostic stratification and potential individualized treatment strategies. Compared with patients with CD5 - DLBCL, older age, advanced stage, higher incidence of central nervous system involvement, and MYC/BCL-2 and p53 overexpression were more prevalent in CD5 + DLBCL. Most patients with CD5 + DLBCL had lymph nodes with non-germinal center B-cell-like or activated B-cell-like subtype according to immunohistochemistry or Lymph2Cx assay. Next-generation sequencing showed that the proportion of MCD subtype (based on the co-occurrence of MYD88 and CD79B mutations) in the CD5 + DLBCL cohort was higher than that in the CD5 - DLBCL cohort (54.2% vs. 13.0%, P =0.005). Compared with the CD5 - cohort, CD5 + DLBCL patients showed poor 5-year overall survival (70.9% vs. 39.0%, P <0.001). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that cell of origin, MYC/BCL-2, p53, and BCL-6 expression did not have a prognostic impact on patients with CD5 + DLBCL. Multivariate analysis showed that age above 76 years, advanced stage, higher incidence of central nervous system involvement, and hypoalbuminemia were independent factors for poor prognosis in CD5 + DLBCL patients. In summary, CD5 + DLBCL displays poor prognosis, distinctive clinicopathologic characteristics and predominant genetic features of activated B-cell-like and MCD subtypes with worse survival outcome.
Authors
MLA Citation
Sang, Wei, et al. “Clinicopathologic Features and Genomic Signature of De Novo CD5 + Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma : A Multicenter Collaborative Study.” Am J Surg Pathol, vol. 46, no. 11, Nov. 2022, pp. 1533–44. Pubmed, doi:10.1097/PAS.0000000000001957.
URI
https://scholars.duke.edu/individual/pub1533563
PMID
36006771
Source
pubmed
Published In
American Journal of Surgical Pathology
Volume
46
Published Date
Start Page
1533
End Page
1544
DOI
10.1097/PAS.0000000000001957
Clinical characteristics and outcomes of Castleman disease: a multicenter Consortium study of 428 patients with 15-year follow-up.
Castleman disease (CD) has been reported as a group of poorly understood lymphoproliferative disorders, including unicentric CD (UCD) and idiopathic multicentric CD (iMCD) which are human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) negative and human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8) negative. The clinical and independent prognostic factors of CD remain poorly elucidated. We retrospectively collected the clinical information of 428 patients with HIV and HHV-8 negative CD from 12 large medical centers with 15-year follow-up. We analyzed the clinicopathologic features of 428 patients (248 with UCD and 180 with iMCD) with a median age of 41 years. The histology subtypes were hyaline-vascular (HV) histopathology for 215 patients (56.58%) and plasmacytic (PC) histopathology for 165 patients (43.42%). Most patients with UCD underwent surgical excision, whereas the treatment strategies of patients with iMCD were heterogeneous. The outcome for patients with UCD was better than that for patients with iMCD, 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 95% and 74%, respectively. In further analysis, a multivariate analysis using a Cox regression model revealed that PC subtype, hepatomegaly and/or splenomegaly, hemoglobin ≤ 80 g/L, and albumin ≤ 30 g/L were independent prognostic factors of CD for OS. The model of iMCD revealed that age > 60 years, hepatomegaly and/or splenomegaly, and hemoglobin ≤ 80 g/L were independent risk factors. In UCD, single-factor analysis identified two significant risk factors: hemoglobin ≤ 100 g/L and albumin ≤ 30 g/L. Our study emphasizes the distinction of clinical characteristics between UCD and iMCD. The importance of poor risk factors of different clinical classifications may direct more precise and appropriate treatment strategies.
Authors
Liu, W; Cai, Q; Yu, T; Strati, P; Hagemeister, FB; Zhai, Q; Zhang, M; Li, L; Fang, X; Li, J; Sun, R; Zhang, S; Yang, H; Wang, Z; Qian, W; Iwaki, N; Sato, Y; Oksenhendler, E; Xu-Monette, ZY; Young, KH; Yu, L
MLA Citation
Liu, Wanying, et al. “Clinical characteristics and outcomes of Castleman disease: a multicenter Consortium study of 428 patients with 15-year follow-up.” Am J Cancer Res, vol. 12, no. 9, 2022, pp. 4227–40.
URI
https://scholars.duke.edu/individual/pub1554096
PMID
36225639
Source
pubmed
Published In
American Journal of Cancer Research
Volume
12
Published Date
Start Page
4227
End Page
4240
Research Areas:
Biomarkers, Pharmacological
Genetic Association Studies
Leukemia
Lymphoblastic leukemia
Lymphoma
Multiple Myeloma
Professor of Pathology
Contact:
1-919-668-7568, 40 Medicine Circle, Durham, NC 27710
40 Duke Medicine Circle, Box #3712 Duhs, Durham, NC 27710