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Testicular large B-cell lymphoma (TLBCL) is an infrequent and aggressive lymphoma arising in an immune-privileged site and has recently been recognized as a distinct entity from diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We describe the genetic features of TLBCL and compare them with published series of nodal DLBCL and primary large B-cell lymphomas of the CNS (PCNSL). We collected 61 patients with TLBCL. We performed targeted next-generation sequencing, copy number arrays, and fluorescent in situ hybridization to assess chromosomal rearrangements in 40 cases with available material. Seventy percent of the cases showed localized stages. BCL6 rearrangements were detected in 36% of cases, and no concomitant BCL2 and MYC rearrangements were found. TLBCL had fewer copy number alterations ( p  < 0.04) but more somatic variants ( p  < 0.02) than nodal DLBCL and had more frequent 18q21.32-q23 ( BCL2 ) gains and 6q and 9p21.3 ( CDKN2A/B ) deletions. PIM1 , MYD88 L265P , CD79B , TBL1XR1 , MEF2B , CIITA , EP300, and ETV6 mutations were more frequent in TLBCL, and BCL10 mutations in nodal DLBCL. There were no major genetic differences between TLBCL and PCNSL. Localized or disseminated TLBCL displayed similar genomic profiles. Using LymphGen, the majority of cases were classified as MCD. However, we observed a subgroup of patients classified as BN2, both in localized and disseminated TLBCL, suggesting a degree of genetic heterogeneity in the TLBCL genetic profile. TLBCL has a distinctive genetic profile similar to PCNSL, supporting its recognition as a separate entity from DLBCL and might provide information to devise targeted therapeutic approaches., Competing Interests: Ferran Nadeu has received honoraria from Janssen, AbbVie, AstraZeneca, and SOPHiA GENETICS for speaking at educational activities; has received research support from Gilead; and has licensed the use of the protected IgCaller algorithm to Diagnóstica Longwood. Tycho Baumann has received consulting fees or honoraria from Janssen, Roche, Novartis, Merck, Gilead/Kite, Incyte, Lilly, Abbvie, AstraZeneca, and BeiGene. Alejandro Martin García‐Sancho has received consulting fees or honoraria from Janssen, Roche, BMS/Celgene, Kyowa Kirin, Clinigen, EUSAPharma, Novartis, Gilead/Kite, Incyte, Lilly, Takeda, ADC Therapeutics America, Miltenyi, Ideogen, Abbvie, and BeiGene. Elías Campo has been a consultant for GenMab, and Takeda; has received research support from AstraZeneca; received honoraria from Janssen, EUSPharma, Takeda, and Roche for speaking at educational activities; and is an inventor on a Lymphoma and Leukemia Molecular Profiling Project patent “Method for subtyping lymphoma subtypes by means of expression profiling” (PCT/US2014/64161) and a bioinformatic tool (IgCaller) licensed to Diagnostic Longwood. Eva Giné has received honoraria or consulting fees from Gilead, Kite Pharma, Janssen, Genmab, Miltenyi, and Lilly; has received research support from Janssen and travel expenses from Gilead and Kite Pharma. Armando López Guillermo served on the advisory board of Roche, Celgene, Novartis, and Gilead/Kite, received grants from Celgene and Gilead/Kite, and travel expenses from Kite/Gilead. The remaining authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024 The Author(s). HemaSphere published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Hematology Association.)

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive and biologically heterogeneous disease. Approximately 40% of patients with DLBCL will experience disease relapse or will be refractory to first-line chemo immunotherapy. In recent years, there have been several new therapeutic agents approved for the treatment of relapsed/refractory (R/R) DLBCL. These agents include anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T-cell) and monoclonal antibody therapies such as polatuzumab and tafasitamab. Nevertheless, despite the high efficacy of all these new therapies, there are still patients who do not respond or relapse, representing an unmet clinical need. This review describes new promising therapies that are in clinical development to treat R/R DLBCL.

Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) represents a rare and aggressive lymphoma subtype frequently associated with immunosuppression. Clinically, patients with PBL are characterized by poor outcome. The current understanding of the molecular pathogenesis is limited. A hallmark of PBL represents its plasmacytic differentiation with loss of B-cell markers and, in 60% of cases, its association with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Roughly 50% of PBLs harbor a MYC translocation. Here, we provide a comprehensive integrated genomic analysis using whole exome sequencing (WES) and genome-wide copy number determination in a large cohort of 96 primary PBL samples. We identify alterations activating the RAS-RAF, JAK-STAT, and NOTCH pathways as well as frequent high-level amplifications in MCL1 and IRF4. The functional impact of these alterations is assessed using an unbiased shRNA screen in a PBL model. These analyses identify the IRF4 and JAK-STAT pathways as promising molecular targets to improve outcome of PBL patients., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Despite advances in understanding the biology of mature T and natural killer (NK)/T cell neoplasia, current therapies, even the most innovative ones, are still far from ensuring its cure. The only treatment to date that has been shown to control aggressive T cell neoplasms in the long term is allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT). We aim to report the results of alloSCT for advanced mature T and NK/T neoplasias performed in centers from our national GELTAMO/GETH (Grupo Español de Linfoma y Trasplante de Médula Ósea/Grupo Español de Trasplante Hematopoyético y Terapia Celular) over the past 25 years. As a secondary objective, we analyzed the results of alloSCT from haploidentical donors. We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients who received an alloSCT in Spanish centers (n = 201) from September 1995 to August 2018. The 2-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were 65.5% and 58.2%, respectively. The univariate for OS and DFS showed statistically different hazard ratios for conditioning intensity, response pre-alloSCT, comorbidity index, donor/receptor cytomegalovirus status and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) pre-alloSCT, but only a better ECOG pre-alloSCT remained significant in the multivariate analysis. There was an increased incidence of relapse in those patients who did not develop chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and an increased risk of death in those developing moderate to severe acute GVHD. The 1-year nonrelapse mortality was 21.9% and was mainly due to GVHD (30%) and bacterial infections (17%). When comparing unrelated donors with haploidentical donors, we found similar results in terms of OS and DFS. There was, however, a reduction of acute GVHD in the haploidentical group (P = .04) and trend to a reduction of chronic GVHD. In conclusion, alloSCT is the only curative option for most aggressive T cell neoplasias. Haploidentical donors offer similar results to related donors in terms of survival with a reduction of acute GVHD., (Copyright © 2021 The American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common leukemia in adults in Western countries. Its etiology is largely unknown but increasing incidence rates observed worldwide suggest that lifestyle and environmental factors such as diet might play a role in the development of CLL. Hence, we hypothesized that the consumption of ultra-processed food and drinks (UPF) might be associated with CLL. Data from a Spanish population-based case-control study (MCC-Spain study) including 230 CLL cases (recruited within three years of diagnosis) and 1634 population-based controls were used. The usual diet during the previous year was collected through a validated food frequency questionnaire and food and drink consumption was categorized using the NOVA classification scheme. Logistic regression models adjusted for potential confounders were used. Overall, no association was reported between the consumption of UPF and CLL cases (OR per each 10% increase of the relative contribution of UPF to total dietary intake = 1.09 (95% CI: 0.94; 1.25)), independently of the Rai stage at diagnosis. However, when analyses were restricted to cases diagnosed within <1 year (incident), each 10% increment in the consumption of UPF was associated with a 22% higher odds ratio of CLL (95% CI: 1.02, 1.47) suggesting that the overall results might be affected by the inclusion of prevalent cases, who might have changed their dietary habits after cancer diagnosis. Given the low number of cases in the subgroup analyses and multiple tests performed, chance findings cannot totally be ruled out. Nonetheless, positive associations found in CLL incident cases merit further research, ideally in well-powered studies with a prospective design.

GOYA was a randomized phase 3 study comparing obinutuzumab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) vs standard-of-care rituximab plus CHOP in patients with previously untreated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). This retrospective analysis of GOYA aimed to assess the association between progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) with positron emission tomography (PET)-based complete response (CR) status. Overall, 1418 patients were randomly assigned to receive 8 21-day cycles of obinutuzumab (n = 706) or rituximab (n = 712) plus 6 or 8 cycles of CHOP. Patients received a mandatory fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose-PET/computed tomography scan at baseline and end of treatment. After a median follow-up of 29 months, the numbers of independent review committee-assessed PFS and OS events in the entire cohort were 416 (29.3%) and 252 (17.8%), respectively. End-of-treatment PET CR was highly prognostic for PFS and OS according to Lugano 2014 criteria (PFS: hazard ratio [HR], 0.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.19-0.38; P < .0001; OS: HR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.08-0.17; P < .0001), irrespective of international prognostic index score and cell of origin. In conclusion, the results from this prospectively acquired large cohort corroborated previously published data from smaller sample sizes showing that end-of-treatment PET CR is an independent predictor of PFS and OS and a promising prognostic marker in DLBCL. Long-term survival analysis confirmed the robustness of these data over time. Additional meta-analyses including other prospective studies are necessary to support the substitution of PET CR for PFS as an effective and practical surrogate end point. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01287741., (© 2021 by The American Society of Hematology.)

We aimed to study the association between occupational exposure to pesticides and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in Spain. Occupational exposure to pesticides (four insecticides, four herbicides and two fungicides) was evaluated using a job-exposure matrix for the Spanish population (MatEmESp) among 302 CLL cases and 1567 population controls in five regions of Spain, 2010-2013. Cumulative exposure scores (CES) were obtained by summing across the exposed jobs the product of prevalence, intensity and duration of exposure to each active substance. Principal components analysis (PCA) and logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, region, education and occupational exposure to solvents were used. Around 20% of controls and 29% of cases were exposed to one or more pesticides. Compared to non-exposed, subjects in the highest tertile (3rd tertile) of CES of insecticides, herbicides, fungicides were more likely to have CLL [OR (95% CI), P-trend; 2.10 (1.38; 3.19), 0.002; 1.77 (1.12; 2.80), 0.12; and 1.67 (1.06; 2.64), 0.10, respectively). Following PCA, the first component (PC1, explaining 70% of the variation) equally led by seven active substances (the insecticide pyrethrin, all herbicides, all fungicides) was associated with a 26% higher odds of having CLL for 1-standard deviation increase in PC1 (95% CI: 1.14 to 1.40). These results confirm previous associations between CLL and exposure to pesticides and provide additional evidence by application groups and active substance. However, more research is needed to disentangle independent effects of individual active substances.

Lymphomas are a large, heterogeneous group of neoplasms with well-defined characteristics, and this heterogeneity highlights the importance of epidemiological data. Knowledge of local epidemiology is essential to optimise resources, design clinical trials, and identify minority entities. Given there are few published epidemiological data on lymphoma in Spain, the Spanish Lymphoma and Autologous Bone Marrow Transplant Group created the RELINF project. The aim of this project is to determine the frequencies and distribution of lymphoid neoplasms in Spain and to analyse survival. We developed an online platform for the prospective collection of data on newly diagnosed cases of lymphoma in Spain between January 2014 and July 2018; 11,400 patients were registered. Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma (FL) were the most frequent lymphomas in our series. Marginal B cell lymphoma frequency was higher than that reported in other studies, representing more than 11% of mature B cell lymphomas. Peripheral T cell lymphoma not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS) was the most common subtype of T cell lymphoma, and NK/T cell lymphomas were more frequent than expected (5.4% of total). Hodgkin's lymphoma accounted for 12% of lymphoproliferative syndromes. Overall survival was greater than 90% at 2 years for indolent B cell lymphomas, and approximately 60% for DLBCL, somewhat lower than that previously reported. Survival was poor for PTCL-NOS and angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma, as expected; however, it was somewhat better than that in other studies for anaplastic large cell anaplastic lymphoma kinase lymphomas. This is the first prospective registry to report the frequencies, distribution, and survival of lymphomas in Spain. The frequencies and survival data we report here are globally consistent with that reported in other Western countries. These updated frequencies and survival statistics are necessary for developing appropriate management strategies for neoplasias in the Spanish population.

Introduction: Preventable risk factors for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) remain largely unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between adherence to nutrition-based guidelines for cancer prevention and CLL, in the MCC-Spain case-control study., Methods: A total of 318 CLL cases and 1293 population-based controls were included in the present study. The World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRC/AICR) score based on the 2018 recommendations for cancer prevention (on body fatness, physical activity, and diet) was constructed. We used logistic regression analysis adjusting for potential confounders., Results: Individuals in the highest tertile of the WCRF/AICR score had an odds ratio for CLL of 1.25 (95 % CI 0.91; 1.73) compared with individuals with low adherence (p-trend = 0.172). Each point increment in the score was associated with an OR for CLL of 1.06 (95 % CI 0.91; 1.23). Analyses by severity of disease did not show significant heterogeneity of effects., Conclusion: Overall, our results do not support an association between the WCRF/AICR score and CLL, yet we might have been limited by statistical power and study design to detect modest associations. Further research, ideally with a prospective design, long follow-up, and including additional lymphoma subtypes, is warranted to confirm the impact of composite healthy lifestyle behaviors on lymphoma risk., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Chronic inflammation plays a role in the development of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), and diet might modulate chronic inflammation. This study aims to evaluate the association between the dietary inflammatory index (DII ® ) and CLL. A total of 366 CLL cases and 1643 controls of the Spanish multicase-control (MCC) Spain study were included. The inflammatory potential of the diet was assessed using the energy-adjusted dietary inflammatory index (E-DII) based on 30 items from a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using logistic regression models controlling for potential confounders. Overall, a modest, non-statistically significant, positive association was observed between CLL and E-DII scores (OR for a one-unit increase in E-DII: 1.05 (CI 95%: 0.99, 1.12), p -value = 0.09 and by tertiles: OR T2vsT1 : 1.20 (CI 95%: 0.90, 1.59); OR T3vsT1 : 1.21 (CI 95%: 0.90, 1.62), p trend = 0.21). These results were independent from disease severity ( p- het: 0.70), time from diagnosis ( p- het: 0.67) and CLL treatment received ( p- het: 0.56). No interactions were detected. In conclusion, the consumption of a diet with high pro-inflammatory components was not significantly associated with CLL. Changes towards a more pro-inflammatory dietary pattern in younger generations not included here warrant future research.

Patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) refractory to front-line immunochemotherapy (ICT) have a poor overall survival (OS). Gene mutation analysis may be more accurate than classical risk factors to pick out these patients before treatment. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of selected genetic mutations in a cohort of patients with high-risk FL. Twenty-five patients with FL refractory to front-line ICT and 10 non-refractory patients matched for age, sex, and FLIPI score were included. We sequenced 18 genes (custom targeted sequencing panel) previously reported to potentially have prognostic impact, including the seven genes necessary to determine m7FLIPI risk. The 35 patients had a median age of 62. The FLIPI and FLIPI2 were high in 27 (84%) and 14 (48%), respectively. Three-year progression-free survival (PFS) and OS probabilities were 25% (95% CI, 13%-41%) and 53% (34%-69%), respectively. There were 73 variants in the 18 genes among the 35 patients. The median number of mutations per patient was 1 (interquartile range, 0-3). The most commonly mutated genes were CREBBP (11 of 35, 31%) and EP300 (10 of 35, 29%). EP300 mutations were associated with refractoriness to treatment (10 of 25 among refractory and 0 of 10 among non-refractory). In conclusion, in this study, patients with high-risk follicular lymphoma were genetically heterogeneous., (©2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Background: Survival in mycosis fungoides (MF) is varied and may be poor. The PROCLIPI (PROspective Cutaneous Lymphoma International Prognostic Index) study is a web-based data collection system for early-stage MF with legal data-sharing agreements permitting international collaboration in a rare cancer with complex pathology. Clinicopathological data must be 100% complete and in-built intelligence in the database system ensures accurate staging., Objectives: To develop a prognostic index for MF., Methods: Predefined datasets for clinical, haematological, radiological, immunohistochemical, genotypic, treatment and quality of life are collected at first diagnosis of MF and annually to test against survival. Biobanked tissue samples are recorded within a Federated Biobank for translational studies., Results: In total, 430 patients were enrolled from 29 centres in 15 countries spanning five continents. Altogether, 348 were confirmed as having early-stage MF at central review. The majority had classical MF (81·6%) with a CD4 phenotype (88·2%). Folliculotropic MF was diagnosed in 17·8%. Most presented with stage I (IA: 49·4%; IB: 42·8%), but 7·8% presented with enlarged lymph nodes (stage IIA). A diagnostic delay between first symptom development and initial diagnosis was frequent [85·6%; median delay 36 months (interquartile range 12-90)]. This highlights the difficulties in accurate diagnosis, which includes lack of a singular diagnostic test for MF., Conclusions: This confirmed early-stage MF cohort is being followed-up to identify prognostic factors, which may allow better management and improve survival by identifying patients at risk of disease progression. This study design is a useful model for collaboration in other rare diseases, especially where pathological diagnosis can be complex., (© 2018 British Association of Dermatologists.)

Diet is a modifiable risk factor for several neoplasms but evidence for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is sparse. Previous studies examining the association between single-food items and CLL risk have yielded mixed results, while few studies have been conducted on overall diet, reporting inconclusive findings. This study aimed to evaluate the association between adherence to three dietary patterns and CLL in the multicase-control study (MCC-Spain) study. Anthropometric, sociodemographic, medical and dietary information was collected for 369 CLL cases and 1605 controls. Three validated dietary patterns, Western, Prudent and Mediterranean, were reconstructed in the MCC-Spain data. The association between adherence to each dietary pattern and CLL was assessed, overall and by Rai stage, using mixed logistic regression models adjusted for potential confounders. High adherence to a Western dietary pattern (i.e. high intake of high-fat dairy products, processed meat, refined grains, sweets, caloric drinks, and convenience food) was associated with CLL [ORQ4 vs. Q1=1.63 (95%CI 1.11; 2.39); P -trend=0.02; OR 1-SD increase=1.19 (95%CI: 1.03; 1.37)], independently of Rai stages. No differences in the association were observed according to sex, Body Mass Index, energy intake, tobacco, physical activity, working on a farm, or family history of hematologic malignancies. No associations were observed for Mediterranean and Prudent dietary patterns and CLL. This study provides the first evidence for an association between a Western dietary pattern and CLL, suggesting that a proportion of CLL cases could be prevented by modifying dietary habits. Further research, especially with a prospective design, is warranted to confirm these findings., (Copyright© 2018 Ferrata Storti Foundation.)

Genome studies of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) have revealed a large number of somatic mutations and structural alterations. However, the clinical significance of these alterations is still not well defined. In this study, we have integrated the analysis of targeted next-generation sequencing of 106 genes and genomic copy number alterations (CNA) in 150 DLBCL. The clinically significant findings were validated in an independent cohort of 111 patients. Germinal center B-cell and activated B-cell DLBCL had a differential profile of mutations, altered pathogenic pathways and CNA. Mutations in genes of the NOTCH pathway and tumor suppressor genes (TP53/CDKN2A), but not individual genes, conferred an unfavorable prognosis, confirmed in the independent validation cohort. A gene expression profiling analysis showed that tumors with NOTCH pathway mutations had a significant modulation of downstream target genes, emphasizing the relevance of this pathway in DLBCL. An in silico drug discovery analysis recognized 69 (46%) cases carrying at least one genomic alteration considered a potential target of drug response according to early clinical trials or preclinical assays in DLBCL or other lymphomas. In conclusion, this study identifies relevant pathways and mutated genes in DLBCL and recognizes potential targets for new intervention strategies.

Introduction: Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL/SLL) is the most common adult leukemia in Western countries. Although it is mostly an indolent disease it is still incurable and with limited knowledge in relation to its etiology. We aim to confirm and quantify established risk factors for CLL/SLL using a multi-center epidemiological population-based case-control study on CLL/SLL as well as to explore new exposures inconclusively associated with CLL/SLL METHODS: Using the framework provided by the large MCC-Spain case-control study, we explored established and suggested risk factors associated with CLL/SLL using data collected through a face-to-face interview. We estimated odds ratios (OR) and confidence intervals (CI) adjusted by basic confounders, in 1,845 controls from the general population and 560 CLL/SLL from 5 different Spanish regions., Results: Among the established risk factors, CLL/SLL cases were 3 times more likely to report first degree relatives with an hematological cancer (OR = 3.11, 95% CI 2.10 to 4.61) and nearly twice likely to have ever worked in agriculture (OR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.34 to 2.16). New findings suggest that women with CLL/SLL were more likely to have central obesity (OR = 1.67 95% CI = 1.12 to 2.48). An inverse association was found for current alcohol consumption (p-trend<0.016) and for type II diabetes., Conclusion: We confirmed previous established risk factors for CLL/SLL. Among the new findings, further research of central obesity as preventable exposure and the treatment for type II diabetes are warranted., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: There is currently no convincing epidemiological evidence that fruit and vegetable consumption, the primary source of vitamin C, plays a role in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) aetiology. We hypothesized that variations in vitamin C dietary intake as well as in genetic variability in vitamin C transporter gene SLC23A2 could explain some inconsistencies in the literature., Methods: Fruit/vegetable/vitamin C consumption from food frequency questionnaires and six low-penetrance genetic susceptibility polymorphisms in vitamin C transporter gene SLC23A2 (rs1715364, rs6133175, rs1776948, rs6139587, rs369270 and rs6052937) were examined in 434 CLL cases and 1257 randomly selected controls from primary care centres with genetic data of whom 275 cases and 1094 controls having both diet and genetic information. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI)., Results: CLL patients were more likely to have a higher fruit consumption than controls (highest versus lowest quartile in g/day OR: 1.48; 95 % CI: 1.00 to 2.18; P = 0.03), whereas no associations were found with vegetable or total vitamin C intake. Based on log-additive models, rs6133175&#95;A > G (OR: 1.19, 95 % CI: 1.00 to 1.41; P = 0.05) and rs1776948&#95;T > A (OR: 1.20; 95 %CI: 1.01 to 1.41; P = 0.04) were associated with CLL. The haplogenotype analysis (rs1715364, rs6133175) supported the genotype results. No gene-diet interactions in CLL remained statistically significant after correction for multiple testing., Conclusions: These data suggest that both fruit intake and genetic marker in SLC23A2 may play an independent role in CLL biology.

Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) has been suspected to cause chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) but previous data are inconsistent. We measured seroreactivities of nine polyomaviruses (MCPyV, BKPyV, JCPyV, LPyV, KIPyV, WUPyV, HPyV-6, HPyV-7 and TSPyV) in 359 CLL cases and 370 controls using bead-based multiplex serology technology. We additionally tested two herpesviruses (HSV-1 and CMV). Associations between disease and viral seroreactivities were assessed using logistic regression. All human viruses showed high seroprevalences (69-99%) against structural proteins in controls but significantly lower viral seroprevalences in cases (58-94%; OR range = 0.21-0.70, P value < 0.05), except for MCPyV (OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.54-1.16). Lower seroreactivity levels were observed among CLL subjects, with significant differences already observed at early stages of disease, unrelated to treatment status. Seroreactivities against polyomavirus related oncoproteins were almost null. Our data suggest no association for MCPyV polyomavirus with CLL development and an unlikely association for other polyomaviruses tested.

Objective: Since the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) patients with HIV-related diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) show better control of immunosuppression, which may have an impact on the characteristics and prognosis of the disease. We aimed to compare the clinical presentation and prognosis of patients with HIV-related and HIV-unrelated DLBCL treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) in the cART era., Methods and Design: Eighty-one HIV-infected patients included in a Spanish multicentre trial were compared with 84 HIV-uninfected patients diagnosed in a Spanish institution in the same period all treated with R-CHOP., Results: HIV-infected patients had a worse performance status, more frequent B-symptoms, and higher Ann-Arbor stages than HIV-uninfected patients, with similar frequency of extranodal involvement. The complete response (CR) rate of patients with high tumor burden was not different in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected patients. Patients with HIV-related DLBCL showed a worse overall survival (OS) (5-year OS: 56 vs. 74%) but a similar disease-free survival (DFS) (5-year DFS: 84 vs. 73%). In the subgroup of patients with high tumor, the results regarding survival were similar to the whole series. Previous AIDS-defining illness was the strongest negative prognostic factor for OS in HIV-infected patients., Conclusion: In the cART era, HIV-related DLBCL still presents more aggressive features than HIV-unrelated DLBCL, and has a worse OS despite having a similar DFS. Prevention of HIV-related complications is essential to achieve outcomes comparable with HIV-uninfected patients with DLBCL.

Background: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-related malignancies harbour distinct serological responses to EBV antigens. We hypothesized that EBV serological patterns can be useful to identify different stages of chronic lymphocytic leukemia., Methods: Information on 150 cases with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and 157 frequency-matched (by age, sex and region) population-based controls from a Spanish multicentre case-control study was obtained. EBV immunoglobulin G serostatus was evaluated through a peptide-based ELISA and further by immunoblot analysis to EBV early antigens (EA), nuclear antigen (EBNA1), VCA-p18, VCA-p40 and Zebra. Two independent individuals categorized the serological patterns of the western blot analysis. Patients with very high response and diversity in EBV-specific polypeptides, in particular with clear responses to EA-associated proteins, were categorized as having an abnormal reactive pattern (ab&#95;EBV). Adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were estimated using logistic regression models., Results: Almost all subjects were EBV-IgG positive (>95% of cases and controls) whereas ab&#95;EBV patterns were detected in 23% of cases (N = 34) and 11% of controls (N = 17; OR: 2.44, 95% CI, 1.29 to 4.62; P = 0.006), particularly in intermediate/high risk patients. Although based on small numbers, the association was modified by smoking with a gradual reduction of ab&#95;EBV-related OR for all Rai stages from never smokers to current smokers., Conclusions: Highly distinct EBV antibody diversity patterns revealed by immunoblot analysis were detected in cases compared to controls, detectable at very early stages of the disease and particularly among non smokers. This study provides further evidence of an abnormal immunological response against EBV in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Background: Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) has been identified as the cause of Merkel cell carcinoma. The increased incidence of chronic lymphocytic leukemia in Merkel cell cancer cohorts and the lymphotropic properties of the virus suggest a possible viral association with lymphomagenesis. To investigate this potential role, we explored seroreactivity against MCV VP1 capsids within the Epilymph case-control study in Spain., Methods: Serum samples from 468 incident lymphomas, categorized into up to 11 entities, and 522 controls frequency matched by age, sex, and recruitment center were tested for MCV antibodies by enzyme immunoassay using Virus-Like-Particles. Adjusted multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate the OR and 95% confidence interval (CI) associated to MCV seroprevalence. Immunosuppressed subjects were excluded., Results: MCV seroprevalence was 82% in controls and 85% in lymphoma cases. Among 11 lymphoma categories, MCV seropositivity was significantly higher in diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL; 96.4%; OR = 6.1, 95%CI = 1.9-19.8), as compared with controls. MCV prevalences were also higher in follicular lymphoma, lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Hodgkin lymphoma, and mature T-cell lymphoma but differences did not reach statistical significance. Lower prevalences were observed for multiple myeloma and other B-cell lymphoma. Exclusion of samples collected after start of treatment did not change the results. In a subset analysis, no significant association was observed between BKV and JCV seroprevalence and DLBCL., Conclusion: The association observed between serologic evidence of MCV exposure and DLBCL warrants further research., Impact: MCV might be involved in the pathway of DLBCL and other lymphomas., (©2012 AACR)

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) prognostication requires additional biologic markers. miRNAs may constitute markers for cancer diagnosis, outcome, or therapy response. In the present study, we analyzed the miRNA expression profile in a retrospective multicenter series of 258 DLBCL patients uniformly treated with chemoimmunotherapy. Findings were correlated with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). miRNA and gene-expression profiles were studied using microarrays in an initial set of 36 cases. A selection of miRNAs associated with either DLBCL molecular subtypes (GCB/ABC) or clinical outcome were studied by multiplex RT-PCR in a test group of 240 cases with available formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) diagnostic samples. The samples were divided into a training set (123 patients) and used to derive miRNA-based and combined (with IPI score) Cox regression models in an independent validation series (117 patients). Our model based on miRNA expression predicts OS and PFS and improves upon the predictions based on clinical variables. Combined models with IPI score identified a high-risk group of patients with a 2-year OS and a PFS probability of < 50%. In summary, a precise miRNA signature is associated with poor clinical outcome in chemoimmunotherapy-treated DLBCL patients. This information improves upon IPI-based predictions and identifies a subgroup of candidate patients for alternative therapeutic regimens.

Retrospective series have reported many clinical and biological significant prognostic factors in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). We describe a prospective cohort of 135 patients with CLL homogeneously studied at diagnosis for prognostic factors. Biological variables analyzed were CD38 and ZAP-70 expression, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for 13q-, +12, 11q-, and 17p-, and conventional cytogenetics. Univariate and multivariate analysis for progression-free survival (PFS) were performed in patients with early stage (Rai 0-1) CLL. CD38 was positive in 42 (31.6%) patients and ZAP-70 in 47 (35.9%). The most frequent FISH finding was isolated 13q- in 50 (38.5%) patients, and 17p- -was found in 11 (8.4%). Among 135 patients, 114 (84.4%) were Rai 0-1 at diagnosis and 39 (28.9%) presented adenopathies. With a median follow-up of 39 months, the presence of lymphadenopathy in patients with Rai 0-1 stage CLL was the only significant variable for predicting PFS in multivariate analysis (odds ratio [OR] 7, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.2-22, p = 0.001). When only biological factors were analyzed, CD38 expression (OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.1-9.3, p = 0.03) and 17p- (OR 3.5, 95% CI 0.95-13.1, p = 0.05) correlated with worse PFS. A longer follow-up is necessary to analyze the prognostic value of these variables regarding overall survival.

Background: Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) after solid organ transplantation (SOT) is commonly characterized by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-driven proliferation of recipient B cells due to impaired immune surveillance in the context of immunosuppression. Because EBV-specific T-cell responses are focused on the level of EBV antigen and epitope choice depending on the individual human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles, we hypothesized that certain HLA alleles or a distinct HLA haplotype may influence the risk of development of PTLD after SOT., Methods: A multicenter case-control study was performed comparing a group of 155 recipients after SOT with development of PTLD with a group of 1996 recipients after SOT without development of PTLD. Alleles, genotypes, and three locus haplotypes were compared of SOT recipients with and without PTLD., Results: The bivariate analysis showed that carrying HLA-A03 was negatively associated (odds ratio [OR] 0.61, confidence interval [CI] 0.40-0.92, P < 0.02) whereas carrying of HLA-B18 (OR 1.79, CI 1.18-2.73, P < 0.006) and HLA-B21 (OR 2.08, CI 1.14-3.77, P < 0.02) were positively associated with PTLD after SOT. HLA-DR analysis demonstrated a significant negative association between the expression of HLA-DR7 (OR 0.46, CI 0.28-0.78, P < 0.004) and PTLD. Three locus haplotype analysis underlined the relevance of a dominant protective effect of HLA-DR7 expression concerning the risk of PTLD development., Conclusions: Our data suggest an influence of HLA variants on the risk of the development of PTLD. We hypothesize that HLA genes or non-HLA genes within the HLA loci confer a risk modification for the individual patient.

The frequency of gastrointestinal (GI) tract involvement in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) at diagnosis is reported to be below 30%. To investigate the actual frequency of GI involvement by MCL, upper and lower endoscopy was prospectively performed on 13 untreated MCL patients at diagnosis. Multiple biopsies from endoscopically normal and abnormal gastric and colonic mucosa were studied with immunohistochemistry (IHC) for CD20, CD5, and cyclin D1, as well as fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for t(11;14) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for immunoglobulin heavy chain gene. Abnormal mucosa was identified in 38% of cases by upper endoscopy (mainly mild nonspecific gastritis) and in 54% of cases by lower endoscopy (mostly micropolyps). Histologically, infiltration by MCL was demonstrated in the stomach in 77% of cases and in the colon in 77% of cases. As a whole, 92% of patients showed upper or lower GI tract infiltration by MCL. Histologic evidence of MCL involvement was present in all cases with endoscopically abnormal mucosa, but it was also observed in two-thirds of cases with endoscopically unremarkable mucosa. Positive cyclin D1 IHC was seen in all instances displaying CD20 and CD5-positive lymphoid infiltrates, whereas t(11;14) was demonstrated by FISH in 63.5% and PCR was clonal in 64% of those instances. In conclusion, the great majority of MCL patients showed GI tract involvement at the time of diagnosis, not uncommonly in the form of minute lymphoid infiltrates. IHC for cyclin D1 was significantly more sensitive than FISH t(11;14) or PCR for immunoglobulin heavy chain gene to confirm MCL in this setting.

Recent studies have implicated simian virus 40 (SV40) in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas based on detection of SV40 DNA sequences. We employed a virus-like-particle (VLP)-based enzyme immunoassay for antibodies to SV40 to test sera from 520 lymphoma cases and 587 controls in Spain. The SV40 seroprevalence was 9.5% in controls and 5.9% in cases. Antibody levels of the positive sera were low. There was no association of SV40 seropositivity with any subtype of lymphoma. VLPs of the human BK virus substantially inhibited the SV40 reactivity of human sera. There was no serological evidence of widespread SV40 infection and no association of SV40 seropositivity with human lymphomas in Spain., (Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Background: Malignant cells may contribute to relapse after autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation The effectiveness of a double immunomagnetic purging strategy combining CD34-positive with B-negative cell selection to purge peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPCs) from patients with chronic lymphoproliferative disorders has been analyzed., Study Design and Methods: Twenty-two CD34+ cell selections from patients with follicular lymphoma (n = 14), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (n = 6), mantle cell lymphoma (n = 1), and splenic marginal zone lymphoma (n = 1) were performed by use of a magnetic cell selector followed by a negative cell selection step with anti-CD19 monoclonal antibody bound to immunomagnetic beads., Results: The PBPC components contained median CD34+ cells of 1.24 percent (range, 0.38-3.92%) and CD19+ cells of 1.83 percent (range, 0.06-69.7%). After positive selection (n = 22), 49 percent (range, 16-72%) of CD34+ cells were recovered with a purity of 93 percent (range, 24-99%). The double-positive and -negative selections (n = 20) yielded 57.5 percent of CD34+ cells (range, 33.4-79.4%) with a purity of 95 percent (range, 63-99%). Logarithms of B-cell reduction in the CD34+-cell-enriched B-cell-depleted component had a median value of 3.63 (range, 2.74-4.84 log) and CD19+ and CD5+ cells for chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients with more than 4.56 log (>3.6-5.6 log). Of 13 PBPC components that had a tumor-specific clonal signal, 10 became PCR negative after the double-selection procedure., Conclusion: Combined positive and negative magnetic cell selection achieves a high grade of tumor cell reduction with up to 77 percent of the grafts being negative for tumor-specific clonal signal by PCR analysis. This technique preserves an adequate recovery of progenitor cells able to engraft.