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PDF file - 57KB, Supplemental Table 1. Genes differently expressed in EBV+ DLBCL vs. EBV-negative DLBCL. A. Genes upregulated in EBV+ DLBCL; B. Genes downregulated in EBV+ DLBCL

PDF file - 3781KB, Supplemental Figure 1. Morphologic subtypes of EBV+ DLBCL. A, E, I, and M. The monomorphic subtype is composed of monotonous sheets of large transformed B-cells. B, F, J and N. The polymorphic subtype, canonical large B-cell neoplasm variant contains high density of large neoplastic cells and scattered cells with HRS-like features. C, G, K and O. The polymorphic subtype, Hodgkin-like variant shows lower density of neoplastic cells with HRS-like features. D, H, L and P. The polymorphic subtype, lymphoproliferative disorder-like variant has low density of neoplastic cells without Hodgkin lymphoma-like features. By immunohistochemistry, the monomorphic variant had a GCB phenotype, but all 3 polymorphic variants showed non-GCB phenotype.

Purpose: Epstein–Barr virus–positive (EBV+) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) of the elderly is a variant of DLBCL with worse outcome that occurs most often in East-Asian countries and is uncommon in the Western hemisphere. We studied the largest cohort of EBV+ DLBCL, independent of age, treated with rituximab combined with CHOP (R-CHOP) in developed Western countries.Experimental design: A large cohort (n = 732) of patients with DLBCL treated with R-CHOP chemotherapy is included from the multicenter consortium. This study group has been studied for expression of different biomarkers by immunohistochemistry, genetic abnormalities by FISH and mutation analysis, genomic information by gene expression profiling (GEP), and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA).Results: Twenty-eight patients (4.0%) were positive for EBV with a median age of 60.5 years. No clinical characteristics distinguished patients with EBV+ DLBCL from patients with EBV-negative (EBV−) DLBCL. Genetic aberrations were rarely seen. NF-κB p50, phosphorylated STAT-3, and CD30 were more commonly expressed in EBV+ DLBCLs (P < 0.05). Significant differences in survival were not observed in patients with EBV+ DLBCL versus EBV− DLBCL. However, CD30 expression combined with EBV conferred an inferior outcome. GEP showed a unique expression signature in EBV+ DLBCL. GSEA revealed enhanced activity of the NF-κB and JAK/STAT pathways independent of molecular subtype.Conclusions: The clinical characteristics of patients with EBV+ versus EBV− DLBCL are similar and EBV infection does not predict a worse outcome. EBV+ DLBCL, however, has a unique genetic signature. CD30 expression is more common in EBV+ DLBCL and, consistent CD30 and EBV is associated with an adverse outcome. Clin Cancer Res; 20(9); 2338–49. ©2014 AACR.

The supplementary documents include: (1) Supplementary methods for detection of MYC mutations and rearrangements, assessment of Myc expression, and functional studies. (2) Supplementary Tables S1-S8. Supplementary Table S1. Numbers of MYC mutation present in the coding sequence and the untranslated regions. Supplementary Table S2. Clinical and molecular characteristics of the DLBCL cohort with wild-type or mutated Myc or N11S single nucleotide polymorphism. Supplementary Table S3. List of Myc mutations and corresponding patient survival. Supplementary Table S4. Multivariate survival analysis. Supplementary Table S5. Molecular characteristics of patients with wild-type or mutated MYC untranslated regions. Supplementary Table S6. List of MYC 3Ã,'UTR mutations and corresponding patient survival. Supplementary Table S7. Gene profiling comparisons between wild-type and mutated MYC. Supplementary Table S8. Brief summary of major findings by this study. (3) Legends for Supplementary Figures S1-S5. Supplementary Figure S1. Survival analysis for MYC mutations in DLBCL respective to GCB/ABC subtypes, homo/heterozygosity, and MYC translocations. Supplementary Figure S2. Comparison of Myc levels and gene expression profiles between DLBCL groups. Supplementary Figure S3. Differential expression of genes between the WT-Myc and MUT-Myc groups. Supplementary Figure S4. Comparison of gene expression between the WT-Myc and MUT-Myc groups. Supplementary Figure S5. Differential expression of proteins between the WT-Myc and MUT-Myc groups.

Purpose: MYC is a critical driver oncogene in many cancers, and its deregulation in the forms of translocation and overexpression has been implicated in lymphomagenesis and progression of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The MYC mutational profile and its roles in DLBCL are unknown. This study aims to determine the spectrum of MYC mutations in a large group of patients with DLBCL, and to evaluate the clinical significance of MYC mutations in patients with DLBCL treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) immunochemotherapy.Experimental Design: We identified MYC mutations in 750 patients with DLBCL using Sanger sequencing and evaluated the prognostic significance in 602 R-CHOP–treated patients.Results: The frequency of MYC mutations was 33.3% at the DNA level (mutations in either the coding sequence or the untranslated regions) and 16.1% at the protein level (nonsynonymous mutations). Most of the nonsynonymous mutations correlated with better survival outcomes; in contrast, T58 and F138 mutations (which were associated with MYC rearrangements), as well as several mutations occurred at the 3′ untranslated region, correlated with significantly worse survival outcomes. However, these mutations occurred infrequently (only in approximately 2% of DLBCL). A germline SNP encoding the Myc-N11S variant (observed in 6.5% of the study cohort) was associated with significantly better patient survival, and resulted in reduced tumorigenecity in mouse xenografts.Conclusions: Various types of MYC gene mutations are present in DLBCL and show different impact on Myc function and clinical outcomes. Unlike MYC gene translocations and overexpression, most MYC gene mutations may not have a role in driving lymphomagenesis. Clin Cancer Res; 22(14); 3593–605. ©2016 AACR.

Splenic marginal zone B-cell lymphoma (SMZL) is a heterogeneous clinico-biological entity. The clinical course is variable, multiple genes are mutated with no unifying mechanism, and essential regulatory pathways and surrounding microenvironments are diverse. We sought to clarify the heterogeneity of SMZL by resolving different subgroups and their underlying genomic abnormalities, pathway signatures, and microenvironment compositions to uncover biomarkers and therapeutic vulnerabilities. We studied 303 SMZL spleen samples collected through the IELSG46 multicenter international study (NCT02945319) by using a multiplatform approach. We carried out genetic and phenotypic analyses, defined self-organized signatures, validated the findings in independent primary tumor metadata and determined correlations with outcome data. We identified 2 prominent genetic clusters in SMZL, termed NNK (58% of cases, harboring NF-κB, NOTCH, and KLF2 modules) and DMT (32% of cases, with DNA-damage response, MAPK, and TLR modules). Genetic aberrations in multiple genes as well as cytogenetic and immunogenetic features distinguished NNK- from DMT-SMZLs. These genetic clusters not only have distinct underpinning biology, as judged by differences in gene-expression signatures, but also different outcomes, with inferior survival in NNK-SMZLs. Digital cytometry and in situ profiling segregated 2 basic types of SMZL immune microenvironments termed immune-suppressive SMZL (50% of cases, associated with inflammatory cells and immune checkpoint activation) and immune-silent SMZL (50% of cases, associated with an immune-excluded phenotype) with distinct mutational and clinical connotations. In summary, we propose a nosology of SMZL that can implement its classification and also aid in the development of rationally targeted treatments.

Dysregulated NF-κB signaling is critical for lymphomagenesis, however, the expression and clinical relevance of NF-κB subunit p50 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma have not been evaluated. In this study, we analyzed the prognostic significance and gene expression signatures of p50 nuclear expression as a surrogate for p50 activation in 465 patients with de novo diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. We found that p50(+) nuclear expression, observed in 34.6% of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, predominantly composed of activated B-cell-like subtype, was an independent adverse prognostic factor in patients with activated B-cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. It was also an adverse prognostic factor in patients with wild-type TP53 independent of the activated B-cell-like and germinal center B-cell-like subtypes, even though p50 activation correlated with significantly lower levels of Myc, PI3K, phospho-AKT, and CXCR4 expression and less frequent BCL2 translocations. In contrast, in germinal center B-cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients with TP53 mutations, p50(+) nuclear expression correlated with significantly better clinical outcomes, and decreased p53, Bcl-2, and Myc expression. Gene expression profiling revealed multiple signaling pathways potentially upstream the p50 activation through either canonical or noncanonical NF-κB pathways, and suggested that immune suppression, including that by the immune checkpoint TIM-3 and that through leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptors, but not antiapoptosis and proliferation, may underlie the observed poorer survival rates associated with p50(+) nuclear expression in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. In conclusion, these data show that p50 is important as a unique mechanism of R-CHOP-resistance in activated B-cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and in patients without TP53 mutations. The results also provide insights into the regulation and function of p50 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and its cross talk with the p53 pathway with important therapeutic implications.

Item does not contain fulltext Two distinct forms of neoplasms derived from plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDC) exist: mature PDC proliferations associated with myeloid neoplasms and blastic PDC neoplasms (BPDCN). Ten cases of PDC proliferations and neoplasms in the bone marrow have been submitted to the bone marrow workshop held at the 18th EAHP meeting. Based on observations from the submitted cases, scattered PDC (

Composite lymphoma with follicular lymphoma (FL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) components is rare and can pose a substantial diagnostic challenge. We report two cases of composite lymphoma with FL and MCL components occurring in lymph nodes. Both cases showed near total effacement of the lymph node architecture by grade 1 FL (CD10+ and BCL2+) with accompanying in situ MCL component (CD5+ and cyclin D1+) surrounding neoplastic follicles. The diagnosis of composite FL and MCL was confirmed by detecting the t(14;18)(q32;q21) and t(11;14)(q13;q32) in the FL and MCL components, respectively. Immunoglobulin heavy chain fragment length analysis in both cases showed identical dominant monoclonal peaks in microdissected neoplastic lymphoid cells from FL and MCL components. These findings suggest a common clonal origin for the FL and MCL components in both cases.

JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway is often deregulated in hematopoietic disorders including peripheral T-cell lymphoma. We describe two novel mechanisms leading to the constitutive activation of STAT3 in ALK- ALCL. Oncogenic JAK1 or STAT3 mutations are associated to hyperactive pSTAT3 that regulated canonical STAT3 and ATF3 genes. Moreover, synergizing JAK1 and STAT3 mutants sustain the neoplastic growth, which can be efficiently controlled in vitro and in an ALCL patient derived tumorgraft model by JAK1/2 inhibitors. We have discovered that novel chimera, displaying concomitant transcriptional and kinase activities, are power oncogenes capable to sustain via STAT3 the ALCL phenotype and can be uniquely neutralized by a novel ROS1 inhibitor. The pharmacological inhibition of JAK/STAT3 represents a novel strategy for the treatment of molecular stratified ALCL.

Contains fulltext : 173033.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) PRDM1/BLIMP-1, a master regulator of plasma-cell differentiation, is frequently inactivated in activated B-cell-like (ABC) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. Little is known about its genetic aberrations and relevant clinical implications. A large series of patients with de novo DLBCL was effectively evaluated for PRDM1/BLIMP-1 deletion, mutation, and protein expression. BLIMP-1 expression was frequently associated with the ABC phenotype and plasmablastic morphologic subtype of DLBCL, yet 63% of the ABC-DLBCL patients were negative for BLIMP-1 protein expression. In these patients, loss of BLIMP-1 was associated with Myc overexpression and decreased expression of p53 pathway molecules. In addition, homozygous PRDM1 deletions and PRDM1 mutations within exons 1 and 2, which encode for domains crucial for transcriptional repression, were found to show a poor prognostic impact in patients with ABC-DLBCL but not in those with germinal center B-cell-like DLBCL (GCB-DLBCL). Gene expression profiling revealed that loss of PRDM1/BLIMP-1 expression correlated with a decreased plasma-cell differentiation signature and upregulation of genes involved in B-cell receptor signaling and tumor-cell proliferation. In conclusion, these results provide novel clinical and biological insight into the tumor-suppressive role of PRDM1/BLIMP-1 in ABC-DLBCL patients and suggest that loss of PRDM1/BLIMP-1 function contributes to the overall poor prognosis of ABC-DLBCL patients.

Gastric marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of MALT type (MALT lymphoma) arises in the context of chronic inflammation induced by the bacterial pathogen Helicobacter pylori. Although generally considered an indolent disease, MALT lymphoma may transform to gastric diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (gDLBCL) through mechanisms that remain poorly understood. By comparing microRNA expression profiles of gastric MALT lymphoma and gDLBCL, we have identified a signature of 27 deregulated microRNAs(miRNAs) that share the characteristic of being transcriptionally repressed by Myc. Myc overexpression was consequently detected in 80% of gDLBCL but only 20% of MALT lymphomas spotted on a tissue microarray. A highly similar signature of Myc-repressed miRNAs was further detected in nodal DLBCL. Small interfering RNA–mediated knock-down of Myc blocked proliferation of DLBCL cell lines. Of the Myc-repressed miRNAs down-regulated in malignant lymphoma, miR-34a showed the strongest antiproliferative properties when overexpressed in DLBCL cells. We could further attribute miR-34a's tumor-suppressive effects to deregulation of its target FoxP1. FoxP1 overexpression was detected in gDLBCL but not in gastric MALT lymphoma; FoxP1 knock-down efficiently blocked DLBCL proliferation. In conclusion, our results elucidate a novel Myc- and FoxP1-dependent pathway of malignant transformation and suggest miR-34a replacement therapy as a promising strategy in lymphoma treatment.

Purpose: MYC is a critical driver oncogene in many cancers, and its deregulation in the forms of translocation and overexpression has been implicated in lymphomagenesis and progression of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The MYC mutational profile and its roles in DLBCL are unknown. This study aims to determine the spectrum of MYC mutations in a large group of patients with DLBCL, and to evaluate the clinical significance of MYC mutations in patients with DLBCL treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) immunochemotherapy. Experimental Design: We identified MYC mutations in 750 patients with DLBCL using Sanger sequencing and evaluated the prognostic significance in 602 R-CHOP–treated patients. Results: The frequency of MYC mutations was 33.3% at the DNA level (mutations in either the coding sequence or the untranslated regions) and 16.1% at the protein level (nonsynonymous mutations). Most of the nonsynonymous mutations correlated with better survival outcomes; in contrast, T58 and F138 mutations (which were associated with MYC rearrangements), as well as several mutations occurred at the 3′ untranslated region, correlated with significantly worse survival outcomes. However, these mutations occurred infrequently (only in approximately 2% of DLBCL). A germline SNP encoding the Myc-N11S variant (observed in 6.5% of the study cohort) was associated with significantly better patient survival, and resulted in reduced tumorigenecity in mouse xenografts. Conclusions: Various types of MYC gene mutations are present in DLBCL and show different impact on Myc function and clinical outcomes. Unlike MYC gene translocations and overexpression, most MYC gene mutations may not have a role in driving lymphomagenesis. Clin Cancer Res; 22(14); 3593–605. ©2016 AACR.

S224 516 Nuclear coexpression of NF-kB subunit c-Rel and p53 mutants confers significantly poor survival in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients treated with rituximab-CHOP immunochemotherapy: A Report from the International DLBCL Rituximab-CHOP Consortium Ling Li, Zijun Y. Xu-Monette, Chi Y. Ok, Ganiraju C. Manyam, Carlo Visco, Alexander Tzankov, Santiago Montes-Moreno, Karen Dybkaer, April Chiu, Attilio Orazi, Youli Zu, Govind Bhagat, Kristy L. Richards, Eric D. Hsi, William W.L. Choi, J. Han van Krieken, Jooryung Huh, Maurilio Ponzoni, Andres J.M. Ferreri, John P. Farnen, Michael B. Moller, Miguel A. Piris, Jane N. Winter, L. Jeffrey Medeiros, Ken H. Young Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; San Bartolo Hospital, Vicenza, Italy; University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland; Hospital Universitario Marques de Valdecilla, Santander, Spain; Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA; Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA; The Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA; Columbia University Medical Center and New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA; University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA; University of Hong Kong Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Hong Kong, China; Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Asan Medical Center, Ulsan University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea; San Raffaele H. Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; Gundersen Lutheran Health System, La Crosse, WI, USA; Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark; Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

Contains fulltext : 152029.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) MYC dysregulation, including MYC gene rearrangement and Myc protein overexpression, is of increasing clinical importance in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). However, the roles of MYC and the relative importance of rearrangement vs overexpression remain to be refined. Gaining knowledge about the tumor biology associated with MYC dysregulation is important to understand the roles of MYC and MYC-associated biology in lymphomagenesis. In this study, we determined MYC rearrangement status (n=344) and Myc expression (n=535) in a well-characterized DLBCL cohort, individually assessed the clinical and pathobiological features of patients with MYC rearrangement and Myc protein overexpression, and analyzed the prognosis and gene expression profiling signatures associated with these MYC abnormalities in germinal center B-cell-like and activated B-cell-like DLBCL. Our results showed that the prognostic importance of MYC rearrangement vs Myc overexpression is significantly different in germinal center B-cell-like vs activated B-cell-like DLBCL. In germinal center B-cell-like DLBCL, MYC-rearranged germinal center B-cell-like DLBCL patients with Myc overexpression significantly contributed to the clinical, biological, and prognostic characteristics of the overall Myc-overexpressing germinal center B-cell-like DLBCL group. In contrast, in activated B-cell-like DLBCL, the occurrence, clinical and biological features, and prognosis of Myc overexpression were independent of MYC rearrangement. High Myc levels and Myc-independent mechanisms, either tumor cell intrinsic or related to tumor microenvironment, conferred significantly worse survival to MYC-rearranged germinal center B-cell-like DLBCL patients, even among Myc(high)Bcl-2(high) DLBCL patients. This study provides new insight into the tumor biology and prognostic effects associated with MYC dysregulation and suggest that detection of both MYC translocations and evaluation of Myc and Bcl-2 expression is necessary to predict the prognosis of DLBCL patients.

Objective To investigate functional expression of NKG 2 D on CD4 and CD8 T-cells in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). Methods Peripheral blood was drawn from patients with GCA (n=16), PMR (n=78) and healthy controls (HC, n=64). Tissue samples were obtained from GCA patients and controls. Proliferation and cytokine production assays were performed using CFSE and intracellular IFN-γ or TNF-α staining, respectively, and flow cytometry analysis. Immunofluorescence and immunohistology were applied to analyse the presence of NKG 2 D-expressing T-cells and NKG 2 D-ligands in temporal arteries, respectively. mRNA levels of NKG 2 D-ligands were determined by RT-PCR. Results In both GCA and PMR patients, NKG 2 D was preferentially expressed on senescent CD4CD28 − and CD8CD28 − , as well as on CD8CD28 T-cells. Frequencies of senescent T-cells were increased in GCA and PMR patients compared to HC. In GCA tissue samples, infiltrating T-cells were predominately CD28 − . NKG 2 D expressing T-cells concentrated around the vasa vasorum of the adventitia. Antigenic stimulation induced rapid up-regulation of NKG 2 D on CD4CD28 − and CD4CD28 T-cells, whereas TNF-α and interleukin-15 enhanced NKG 2 D expression on senescent CD4 and CD8 T-cells only. NKG 2 D cross-linkage augmented anti-CD3 triggered proliferation, IFN-γ and TNF-α production of CD8 T-cells. In CD4CD28 − T-cells, NKG 2 D ligation resulted in increased IFN-γ production only. NKG 2 D ligands were expressed in temporal arteries from GCA patients, particularly in the adventitial and medial layers of affected vessels. Conclusions NKG 2 D is functionally expressed on CD4CD28 − and CD8 T-cells in GCA and PMR. NKG 2 D-ligands are present in temporal arteries and may co-stimulate NKG 2 D expressing T-cells.

Contains fulltext : 118936.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma can be classified by gene expression profiling into germinal center and activated B-cell subtypes with different prognoses after rituximab-CHOP. The importance of previously recognized prognostic markers, such as Bcl-2 protein expression and BCL2 gene abnormalities, has been questioned in the new therapeutic era. We analyzed Bcl-2 protein expression, and BCL2 and MYC gene abnormalities by interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization in 327 patients with de novo disease treated with rituximab-CHOP. Isolated BCL2 and MYC rearrangements were not predictive of outcome in our patients as a whole, but only in those with the germinal center subtype of lymphoma. The prognostic relevance of isolated MYC rearrangements was weaker than that of BCL2 isolated translocations, but was probably limited by the rarity of the rearrangements. Seven of eight patients with double hit lymphoma had the germinal center subtype with poor outcome. The germinal center subtype patients with isolated BCL2 translocations had significantly worse outcome than the patients without BCL2 rearrangements (P=0.0002), and their outcome was similar to that of patients with the activated B-cell subtype (P=0.30), but not as bad as the outcome of patients with double hit lymphoma (P

CD30, originally identified as a cell-surface marker of Reed-Sternberg and Hodgkin cells of classical Hodgkin lymphoma, is also expressed by several types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, including a subset of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). However, the prognostic and biological importance of CD30 expression in DLBCL is unknown. Here we report that CD30 expression is a favorable prognostic factor in a cohort of 903 de novo DLBCL patients. CD30 was expressed in ∼14% of DLBCL patients. Patients with CD30(+) DLBCL had superior 5-year overall survival (CD30(+), 79% vs CD30(-), 59%; P = .001) and progression-free survival (P = .003). The favorable outcome of CD30 expression was maintained in both the germinal center B-cell and activated B-cell subtypes. Gene expression profiling revealed the upregulation of genes encoding negative regulators of nuclear factor κB activation and lymphocyte survival, and downregulation of genes encoding B-cell receptor signaling and proliferation, as well as prominent cytokine and stromal signatures in CD30(+) DLBCL patients, suggesting a distinct molecular basis for its favorable outcome. Given the superior prognostic value, unique gene expression signature, and significant value of CD30 as a therapeutic target for brentuximab vedotin in ongoing successful clinical trials, it seems appropriate to consider CD30(+) DLBCL as a distinct subgroup of DLBCL.

MDM2 is a key negative regulator of the tumor suppressor p53, however, the prognostic significance of MDM2 overexpression in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has not been defined convincingly. In a p53-genetically defined large cohort of de novo DLBCL patients treated with R-CHOP chemotherapy, we assessed MDM2 and p53 expression by immunohistochemistry (n=478), MDM2 gene amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization (n=364), and a single nucleotide polymorphism in the MDM2 promoter, SNP309, by SNP genotyping assay (n=108). Our results show that MDM2 overexpression, unlike p53 overexpression, is not a significant prognostic factor in overall DLBCL. Both MDM2 and p53 overexpression does not predict for an adverse clinical outcome in patients with wild-type p53, but predicts for significantly poorer survival in patients with mutated p53. Variable p53 activities may ultimately determine the survival differences as suggested by the gene expression profiling analysis. MDM2 amplification was observed in 3 of 364 (0.8%) patients with high MDM2 expression. Presence of SNP309 did not correlate with MDM2 expression and survival. This study indicates that evaluation of MDM2 and p53 expression correlating with TP53 genetic status is essential to assess their prognostic significance, and important for designing therapeutic strategies that target the MDM2-p53 interaction. MDM2 is a key negative regulator of the tumor suppressor p53, however, the prognostic significance of MDM2 overexpression in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has not been defined convincingly. In a p53-genetically defined large cohort of de novo DLBCL patients treated with R-CHOP chemotherapy, we assessed MDM2 and p53 expression by immunohistochemistry (n=478), MDM2 gene amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization (n=364), and a single nucleotide polymorphism in the MDM2 promoter, SNP309, by SNP genotyping assay (n=108). Our results show that MDM2 overexpression, unlike p53 overexpression, is not a significant prognostic factor in overall DLBCL. Both MDM2 and p53 overexpression does not predict for an adverse clinical outcome in patients with wild-type p53, but predicts for significantly poorer survival in patients with mutated p53. Variable p53 activities may ultimately determine the survival differences as suggested by the gene expression profiling analysis. MDM2 amplification was observed in 3 of 364 (0.8%) patients with high MDM2 expression. Presence of SNP309 did not correlate with MDM2 expression and survival. This study indicates that evaluation of MDM2 and p53 expression correlating with TP53 genetic status is essential to assess their prognostic significance, and important for designing therapeutic strategies that target the MDM2-p53 interaction.

Contains fulltext : 118768.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is stratified into prognostically favorable germinal center B-cell (GCB)-like and unfavorable activated B-cell (ABC)-like subtypes based on gene expression signatures. In this study, we analyzed 893 de novo DLBCL patients treated with R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone). We show that MYC/BCL2 protein coexpression occurred significantly more commonly in the ABC subtype. Patients with the ABC or GCB subtype of DLBCL had similar prognoses with MYC/BCL2 coexpression and without MYC/BCL2 coexpression. Consistent with the notion that the prognostic difference between the 2 subtypes is attributable to MYC/BCL2 coexpression, there is no difference in gene expression signatures between the 2 subtypes in the absence of MYC/BCL2 coexpression. DLBCL with MYC/BCL2 coexpression demonstrated a signature of marked downregulation of genes encoding extracellular matrix proteins, those involving matrix deposition/remodeling and cell adhesion, and upregulation of proliferation-associated genes. We conclude that MYC/BCL2 coexpression in DLBCL is associated with an aggressive clinical course, is more common in the ABC subtype, and contributes to the overall inferior prognosis of patients with ABC-DLBCL. In conclusion, the data suggest that MYC/BCL2 coexpression, rather than cell-of-origin classification, is a better predictor of prognosis in patients with DLBCL treated with R-CHOP.

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) share many features and both arise from CD5+ B-cells; their distinction is critical as MCL is a more aggressive neoplasm. Rarely, cases of composite MCL and CLL/SLL have been reported. Little is known about the nature of these cases and, in particular, the clonal relationship of the 2 lymphomas. Eleven composite MCL and CLL/SLL cases were identified. The clinical, morphologic and immunophenotypic features of the MCL and CLL/SLL were characterized. IGH (immunoglobulin heavy chain) gene analysis was performed on microdissected MCL and CLL/SLL components to assess their clonal relationship. Ten patients had lymphadenopathy, and 7 patients had bone marrow involvement. The MCL component had the following growth patterns: in situ (n = 1), mantle zone (n = 3), nodular and diffuse (n = 3), diffuse (n = 3), and interstitial in the bone marrow (the only patient without lymphadenopathy) (n = 1); 6 MCLs had blastoid or pleomorphic and 5 small lymphocytic features. The CLL/SLL component was nodular (n = 9) or diffuse (n = 2). All MCL were CD5(+) and cyclin D1(+) with t(11;14) translocation. All CLL/SLL were CD5(+), CD23(+) and negative for cyclin D1 or t(11;14). IGH gene analysis showed that the MCL and CLL/SLL components displayed different sized fragments, indicating that the MCL and CLL/SLL are likely derived from different neoplastic B-cell clones. The lack of a clonal relationship between the MCL and CLL/SLL components suggests that MCL and CLL/SLL components represent distinct disease processes and do not share a common progenitor B-cell.

Contains fulltext : 185425.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) We identified multiple single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in the TP53 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) in tumor specimens from 244 patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Patients carrying a wild-type TP53 coding sequence (CDS) and 1 or more 3'UTR SNVs had a better 5-year survival rate than patients carrying a wild-type CDS and the reference 3'UTR, yet there is no statistically significance difference in overall survival (OS). In contrast, 3'UTR variation predicted poorer OS for patients with a mutant TP53 CDS. We then sequenced TP53 3'UTR in 247 additional DLBCL patients as a validation set. Altogether, we identified 187 novel SNVs; 36 occurred at least twice. Most of the newly identified 3'UTR SNVs were located at sites that are complementary to seed sequences of microRNAs (miRNAs) that are predicted or experimentally known to target TP53. Three SNVs disrupt the seed match between miR-125b and the TP53 3'UTR, thereby impeding suppression of p53 by this miRNA. In addition, a germline SNV (rs78378222) located in the TP53 polyadenylation signal resulted in downregulation of both p53 messenger RNA and protein levels and reduction of cellular apoptosis. This study is the first to demonstrate the prognostic value of the TP53 3'UTR in cancer.

The diagnostic and clinical usefulness of a powered bone marrow biopsy device (OnControl()) versus a standard manual device (TRAP Hospital System) was studied. Primary endpoints were biopsy quality and patient pain during the procedure. Fifty patients underwent a total of 60 procedures by three expert operators in a randomised stratified fashion. Baseline demographic and clinical parameters were similar in both groups. The usage of conscious sedation, dosage of lidocaine/pethidin was similar between groups. Biopsy quality was rated ‘sufficient for diagnosis’ in 24/30 in the control group and 25/30 in the powered group (p=0.74). Biopsy cylinder length, procedure time (from skin contact of the biopsy needle to placement of the biopsy cylinder in the formalin container) and patient reported pain during the procedure (T1), 15 min after the procedure (T2) and 3–5 days after the procedure (T3) there were comparable between groups. In the small subgroup of patients that did not receive conscious sedation (n=15; manual 6, powered 9) significantly lower median pain scores were observed with the powered system (median pain score 3 vs 7; p=0.015). Patients were satisfied with either device whether sedation was used (sedation: median 9 for both groups, range 3–10 (manual) and 0–10 (powered)) no sedation (median 8 (manual) vs 9 (powered)). In summary bone marrow biopsies taken with the manual or powered device produce similar technical and clinical results. If no conscious sedation is used, pain during the procedure appears to be lower with the powered system. The use of a powered system seems to be justified in selected patients.

Summary Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most frequently-occurring type of malignant lymphoma in the Western world. It has an aggressive natural history, with a median survival of less than one year if left untreated. Immunochemotherapy regimens, consisting of the anti-CD20 antibody rituximab typically in combination with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (CHOP), are currently the treatment backbone. Despite remarkable progress in improving patient survival, clinical outcomes are still unsatisfactory for certain subsets of patients, including the elderly and very elderly and those with highly aggressive disease. This review outlines some of the current treatment strategies for DLBCL and discusses the main issues that affect clinical practice.

Contains fulltext : 108767.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) TP53 mutation is an independent marker of poor prognosis in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) treated with cyclophosphamide, hydroxydaunorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) therapy. However, its prognostic value in the rituximab immunochemotherapy era remains undefined. In the present study of a large cohort of DLBCL patients treated with rituximab plus CHOP (R-CHOP), we show that those with TP53 mutations had worse overall and progression-free survival compared with those without. Unlike earlier studies of patients treated with CHOP, TP53 mutation has predictive value for R-CHOP-treated patients with either the germinal center B-cell or activated B-cell DLBCL subtypes. Furthermore, we identified the loop-sheet-helix and L3 motifs in the DNA-binding domain to be the most critical structures for maintaining p53 function. In contrast, TP53 deletion and loss of heterozygosity did not confer worse survival. If gene mutation data are not available, immunohistochemical analysis showing > 50% cells expressing p53 protein is a useful surrogate and was able to stratify patients with significantly different prognoses. We conclude that assessment of TP53 mutation status is important for stratifying R-CHOP-treated patients into distinct prognostic subsets and has significant value in the design of future therapeutic strategies.

The thymus selects T cells, thus ensuring T cell tolerance. Thymoma can be associated with immune dysregulation manifesting as autoimmunity and/or immunodeficiency. Immune dysregulation in thymoma patients has only been described in case reports and small case series. The current study was a retrospective single-center study, covering the period 1/2000 to 12/2010. Clinical data were collected by chart review. We identified 29 patients with thymoma. The median age at diagnosis was 60 years (range: 23-87). Median follow-up time was 1,326 days (range: 15-3,710), and 20 patients (69%) were alive at last follow-up. Overall, in 13 of 29 patients (45%) autoimmunity and infection were observed in 7 of 29 (24%) and 3 of 29 patients (10%) infection and autoimmunity only was observed, respectively. Both opportunistic and nonopportunistic infections were recorded. Myasthenia gravis (10 of 29 patients) was the most frequent autoimmune disease. Additional entities included pemphigus, pure red cell aplasia, lichen planus, Sjogren's syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus (n = 2 each), and cutaneous lupus erythematosus, sarcoidosis, vitiligo, polymyositis, and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (n = 1 each). Six of 29 patients (21%) had more than 1 autoimmune disorder. In thymoma patients, infection, autoimmunity, and in particular a combination of both pose a challenge to treating physicians. Prospective multicenter studies are required to more precisely define the thymoma-associated immune dysregulation syndrome.

International audience; OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) has a role in the survival of plasma cells infiltrating salivary glands from SS patients. METHODS: We performed immunological staining for APRIL in minor salivary glands from SS with a pair of antibodies specifically recognizing APRIL-producing cells and secreted APRIL. RESULTS: Despite high leucocyte infiltration, APRIL-producing cells, identified as neutrophils, were rare in SS salivary glands. Keratinocytes from the adjacent oral epithelium also produced APRIL, but we never detected significant levels of secreted APRIL in SS salivary glands. We obtained similar results with B-cell lymphomas associated with SS. In fact, there was no significant difference in APRIL production and the level of secreted APRIL in these pathological samples compared with normal corresponding tissues. CONCLUSION: The combined observation that APRIL production is not up-regulated in lesions from SS patients, and that secreted APRIL is not retained in these lesions, indicates that plasma cells frequently present in SS lesions may not rely on APRIL for survival, as they do in other rheumatic diseases.

The normal counterparts of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) are naïve quiescent B-cells that have not been processed through the germinal center (GC). For this reason, while lymphomas arising from GC or post-GC B-cells often exhibit plasmacytic differentiation, MCL rarely presents with plasmacytic features. Seven cases of MCL with a monotypic plasma cell (PC) population were collected from six centers and studied by immunohistochemistry, FICTION (Fluorescence immunophenotyping and Interphase Cytogenetics as a Tool for the Investigation of Neoplasms), capillary gel electrophoresis, and restriction fragment length polymorphism of immunoglobulin heavy chain analysis (RFLP/IgH) of microdissections of each of the MCL and PC populations to assess their clonal relationship. Clinical presentation was rather unusual compared to typical MCL, with two cases arising from extranodal soft-tissues of the head. All MCL cases were morphologically and immunohistochemically typical, bearing the t(11;14)(q13;q32). In all cases PC populations were clonal. In 5 of the 7 cases, the MCL and PC clones showed identical restriction fragments, indicating a common clonal origin of the neoplastic populations. The two cases with clonal diversity denoted the coexistence of two different tumors in a composite lymphoma/plasma cell neoplasm. Our findings suggest that MCL can present with a PC component that is often clonally related to the lymphoma, representing a rare but unique biological variant of this tumor.

The JAK-STAT pathway is an attractive therapeutic target in breast cancer due to its frequent activation. Clinical trials testing JAK inhibitors in breast cancer are ongoing, making it important to understand the effect of this therapeutic approach on metastasis. While it is recognized that tumor growth in primary and metastatic sites is influenced by the local environment, little is known about the effect of targeted therapies on metastases or on host cells interacting with tumor cells at distant locations. Our goal was to determine the effect of JAK inhibitors on breast cancer in the bone environment, a common site of metastasis. Using patient biopsies and preclinical models of breast cancer metastasis, we demonstrate that the JAK-STAT pathway is active in bone metastasis, both in the cancer cells and in the tumor environment. To study the effect of JAK inhibitors, we established preclinical models of bone metastatic tumors, taking advantage of the bone tropism when injected via the intracardiac route, of the breast cancer cell lines, human MDA-MB231 scp1833 and mouse EO771. In vivo, in both models, STAT3 was active and treatment with the JAK1-JAK2 inhibitor ruxolitinib decreased pSTAT3 levels in primary tumors and in bone metastases. Unexpectedly, blocking the pathway with ruxolitinib, or with the JAK2 inhibitor BSK805, enhanced the metastatic burden in both models. To investigate the effect of JAK inhibition on tumor cell dissemination from the primary site, we employed the 4T1.2 model, which spontaneously metastasizes from the mammary tumor to the bone and the lungs. As seen with the other models, there was a significant increase in tumor cell numbers in the bone and in the lungs in response to JAK inhibitor treatment. To understand the mechanism underlying the increase in metastatic load, we considered the host immune system as a potential bystander target of the JAK inhibitors. Indeed, in response to JAK inhibitor treatment we observed a major reduction in the NK cell population. The effect of JAK inhibitors on NK cells was systemic since they were also reduced in the bone marrow and in the peripheral blood of tumor-bearing mice. To mechanistically explain the impact of JAK inhibitors on NK cells, we used the NK cell line, NK-92. Upon treatment of NK-92 cells with JAK inhibitors, activation of multiple STATs decreased and cell proliferation was strongly inhibited. In cytotoxic assays, treatment with JAK inhibitors significantly decreased the killing ability of NK-92 cells against carcinoma cells. To test the in vivo relevance of NK cells in metastatic growth we used NSG mice, which are devoid of NK cell activity. Remarkably, in contrast to the results obtained with 4T1.2 mammary tumors grown in immunocompetent hosts, no increase in bone or lung metastases was observed in tumor-bearing NSG hosts treated with ruxolitinib, providing strong evidence that JAK inhibition increases metastasis by interfering with NK cell mediated anti-tumor innate immunity. These results suggest that the immunomodulatory effect of JAK inhibitors in breast cancer patients undergoing clinical trials should be monitored. Moreover, our work highlights the importance of evaluating the effect of targeted therapy on cell populations in the tumor environment in order to predict and overcame bystander effects that might impact on therapy response. Citation Format: Nancy E. Hynes, Alessia Bottos, Jason Gill, Thomas Radimerski, Alexander Tzankov, Aleksandra Wodnar-Filipowicz. The immunomodulatory effect of JAK inhibitors enhances metastasis by impairing antitumor immunity in preclinical models of breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-013. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-LB-013

Context Akt plays an essential role in diverse cellular processes such as cell proliferation, cell growth and apoptosis. Dysregulation of Akt signaling has been shown to correlate with an inferior survival in patients with a number of solid tumors and some hematologic malignances. The prognostic significance of Akt expression and the gene expression profile of Akt activation in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) have not been thoroughly assessed. Objective In this study, we investigated Akt activation and analyzed its prognostic importance in a large cohort of patients with de novoDLBCL treated with R-CHOP immunochemotherapy. We also characterized the gene expression profile of DLBCL with activated Akt. Patients The study group consisted of 493 DLBCL patients treated with R-CHOP. These cases were organized as a part of the International DLBCL R-CHOP Consortium Program Study, and diagnosed according to the WHO criteria. Patients with primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma, primary cutaneous DLBCL, primary central nervous system DLBCL, and DLBCLs transformed from a low-grade B-cell lymphoma or associated with HIV infection were excluded. Methods Immunohistochemical studies (IHC) were performed in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded sections of tissue microarrays to evaluate the expression of phosphorylated (activated) Akt and other relevant markers. Genetic alterations were examined by FISH for MYC, BCL-2, and BCL-6 translocations and sequencing for TP53 mutation. Gene expression profiling (GEP) was performed to characterize the gene expression profile in Akt-activated DLBCL. The cell-of-origin (COO) subtypes were determined by GEP (gold standard) and IHC. Results Phosphorylated (activated) Akt (pAkt) expression was detected in 98 of 493 (20%) DLBCL tumors including 49 of 253 (19%) GCB DLBCL and 49 of 240 (20%) ABC DLBCL. In the GCB subtype, MYC, BCL-2 and MYC/BCL-2 translocations were more frequently found in pAkt+ DLBCL compared with pAkt- DLBCL (P=0.04, 0.007 and 0.03, respectively). In contrast, translocations of these genes were rare and detected equally in pAkt+ and pAkt- subgroups within the ABC subtype (P=0.7, 0.9 and 0.9, respectively). In the GCB group, TP53 mutation frequency was similar between pAkt+ and pAkt- DLBCL (P=0.45). In contrast, TP53 mutations were significantly less frequent in ABC group (5% versus 22%; P= 0.01). Akt activation predicted a poorer survival, but the negative prognostic impact of Akt activation was significant in the ABC (5-year survival rate: 44% in pAkt+ versus 65% in pAkt-; P=0.01; 5-year PFS: 40% in pAkt+ versus 59% in pAkt-; P=0.01), but not GCB subtype (5-year survival rate: 67% in pAkt+ versus 74% in pAkt-, P=0.31; 5-year PFS rate: 61% in pAkt+ versus 69% in pAkt-, P=0.27). The negative impact of Akt activation appeared to be independent of Myc/Bcl-2 expression and TP53 mutation. In multivariate analysis, pAkt expression was an independent predictor of poorer OS (HR=2.72, 95% CI, 1.50-4.98, P=0.001) and PFS (HR=2.16, 95% CI, 1.22-3.82, P=0.008) in patients with ABC wild type-TP53. In addition, AKT1 mRNA expression conferred significantly poor survival in DLBCL. Gene expression profiling revealed a distinct high-risk signature characterized by increased expression of multiple pro-survival genes (6 of 16 up-regulated genes; 40%) and decreased expression of genes encoding tumor suppressors (5 of 20 down-regulated genes; 25%) in pAkt+ ABC DLBCL. Conclusions Akt is activated in DLBCL, is equally distributed in COO subtypes, and has prognostic significance in patients with ABC DLBCL. Given the promising anti-lymphoma activity of Akt inhibitors in clinical trials, these findings may have clinical implications for DLBCL patients. Akt activation may be useful for prognostic stratification and could serve as a biomarker to guide patient selection and predict response to targeted anti-Akt therapy. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a genetically and clinically heterogeneous disease. Chromosomal translocations causing fusions of the Mixed Lineage Leukemia (MLL) gene are associated with pediatric and adult de novo and therapy-related acute leukemia that are characterized by variable disease outcome. To date, only a limited number of genetic lesions have been implicated in AML disease variability. To address the impact of cellular origin on disease heterogeneity of AMLs, we studied AMLs originating from long-term hematopoietic stem cells (LT-HSCs) and more committed progenitors using a newly established inducible “iMLL-AF9” transgenic mouse model for the t(9:11)(p22;q23) translocation associated MLL-AF9 oncogene. Ex vivo immortalized cells displayed several origin-related growth and drug resistance characteristics and gene expression signatures. Only iMLL-AF9 expressing LT-HSCs formed novel, particularly dispersed colonies, expanded in lineage restrictive stem cell medium and were resistant to genotoxic stress. iMLL-AF9 induction in vivo resulted in fully reversible myelo-monoblastic AML in all animals. Intriguingly, induction of iMLL-AF9 in LT-HSCs caused a particularly aggressive AML phenotype in 15% of recipient mice while the remainder LT-HSCs, as well as short-term HSCs, common myeloid and granulocyte macrophage progenitors induced a more moderate AML. The aggressive LT-HSC-derived AMLs were all characterized by a drastically shorter latency (37 versus 72 days median latency), higher white blood counts, increased invasion capacity and chemo-resistance of leukemic blast, and were associated with expression of genes previously implicated in cell migration, invasion, inflammation and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of solid cancers. shRNA based knock-down experiments demonstrated functional importance of selected candidate genes in cell migration and invasion. Importantly, comparative gene expression analyses between mouse and human revealed that among the genes associated with aggressive AMLs in mice, elevated expression of 66, 11 and 40 human orthologous genes was significantly associated with poor overall survival of t(9;11) (n=21), 11q23-lesion positive, (n=54) and all AMLs (n=662) (p Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Idiopathic myelofibrosis (IMF) is a breakpoint cluster region rearrangement-negative chronic myeloproliferative disease with progressive bone marrow fibrosis. We report a female patient (65 years old) who was admitted to our hospital in 1996. Trephine bone marrow biopsy revealed diffuse fibrosis with atypical multilobulated megakaryocytes. A cellular phase of IMF was diagnosed. Three years later, despite being at intermediate risk, the patient developed generalized lymphadenopathy and multiple sclerosing tumors throughout the peritoneum and retroperitoneum. Biopsy specimens from these tumors revealed sclerosing hematopoietic infiltrates. The present case demonstrates that IMF not only can progress to acute leukemia but can also spread uncontrollably, or 'metastasize' with extensive sclerosing hematopoietic tumors throughout the body.

The t(11;19) translocation leading to the MLL-ENL fusion is recurrently found in pediatric and adult de novo and therapy related mixed-lineage acute leukemia and is often associated with a poor prognosis. Previous studies have shown that (retroviral) overexpression of MLL-ENL potently immortalizes bone marrow cells in vitro and induces a lethal acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in mice. To establish a mouse model that phenocopies more closely the human disease, we generated conditional transgenic mice in which the expression of MLL-ENL is controlled by doxycycline (DOX) through a stably integrated reverse tet-responsive transactivator (rtTA). Induction of MLL-ENL expression in newborn or adult mice resulted in a leukemic phenotype that phenocopied pre-B- and myeloid mixed lineage leukemia as observed in most patients with MLL-ENL. The diseased mice displayed excessive splenomegaly, massive lymph node as well as multiple organ infiltration by two co-existing types of blasts mostly expressing higher or lower levels of B220 and Gr1/Mac1 and similar levels of c-kit. Expression of the fusion gene and disease induction was DOX dosage dependent and reversible upon DOX removal. Despite significantly lower fusion gene expression levels as we observed in retroviral systems the median latency for the development of the disease in this model (104.3±16.9 days) was comparable to them (62±10.4 days) and much shorter than any of the previously reported MLL-ENL knock-in mouse models (> 1 year). Continuous ex vivo expression of MLL-ENL provided bone marrow and fetal liver hematopoietic cells with a strong self-renewal capacity and caused the accumulation of immature blast-like cells upon serial replating in methylcellulose cultures. In the presence of factors favoring myelopoiesis, like IL-3, DOX removal resulted in a complete differentiation towards the granulocytic-monocytic, lineages expressing high levels of Mac1/Gr-1, whereas IL-7 favored differentiation towards the B-cell lineage characterized by the expression of high levels of B220. In addition, MLL-ENL induced a DOX dependent aberrant self renewal capacity and a differentiation block in methylcellulose cultures of hematopoietic stem cells (Lin- c-kit+ Sca-1+, LSK) and various progenitors including common lymphoid progenitor (CLP) and granulocyte-macrophage progenitor (GMP) cells. Interestingly, MLL-ENL expression preferentially expanded LSK- rather than GMP-derived cells as assayed by growth curves in long-term (> 1 month) liquid cultures in the presence of cytokines in vitro. In line with this observation, in vivo, expression of MLL-ENL in long-term hematopoietic stem cells (LT-HSC) induced an aggressive mixed lineage leukemia characterized by the presence of two distinguishable populations of blasts, whereas induction in GMPs never induced a disease. These data suggest that MLL-ENL preferentially transforms hematopoietic stem cells rather than more differentiated progenitors. Thus, this novel transgenic mouse model for MLL-ENL induced acute leukemia closely recapitulates the human disease and combines the advantages of the existing knock-in and retroviral models. This model allowed us to demonstrate that in contrast to the MLL-AF9 fusion, that preferentially immortalizes GMPs, MLL-ENL preferentially transforms HSCs. We anticipate that our model will be a valuable tool to study the cellular origin and to search for and/or validate novel therapeutic targets for MLL-ENL induced acute leukemia. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Introduction Expression of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in de novo diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has not been studied broadly and the prognostic value of STAT3 expression in DLBCL is controversial. Methods The study group included 876 de novo DLBCL patients. All patients were treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, hydroxydoxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (R-CHOP). Cases excluded from the study group included large cell transformation from low-grade B-cell lymphoma, primary cutaneous large B-cell lymphoma, primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma, primary DLBCL of the central nervous system and cases associated with Epstein-Barr virus or human immunodeficiency virus. Immunohistochemical (IHC) studies for several biomarkers were performed using fixed, paraffin embedded sections of tissue microarrays. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for BCL2, BCL6, MYC, and TP53 were performed andTP53 was also sequenced Gene expression profiling (GEP) was performed on 500 cases and the cell of origin (COO) classification was determined by GEP (gold standard) and immunohistochemistry. Results STAT3 was positive in 240 (32.9%) patients, including 133 men and 107 women. The median age of STAT3+ DLBCL patients was 65 years (range, 21-93) and was similar to STAT3- DLBCL patients (63, range 12-95). B symptoms (44.4% vs. 35.2%, P=0.021) and advanced stage (60.5% vs. 52.1%, P=0.035) were more commonly present in STAT3+ DLBCL compared with STAT3- DLBCL patients. Other clinical characteristics were similar between the groups. STAT3+ DBLCLs were more often activated B-cell (ABC) type than STAT3- DLBCLs (61.8% vs. 41.1%, P Conclusion STAT3 is expressed in approximately 1/3 of de novo DLBCLs. STAT3 expression is associated with B symptoms, advanced stage of disease, ABC type, and expression of MYC. Expression of p50 and p65 are more frequently expressed in STAT3+ DLBCL, illustrating activated NF-κB through canonical pathway. C-Rel is less commonly expressed in STAT3+ DLBCL, suggesting p65 is the principal partner for p50. Genetic aberrations are rare. Although STAT3 expression is associated with several adverse prognostic parameters, it does not confer inferior OS and PFS in DLBCL overall, suggestive of the presence of yet unidentified putative tumor suppressive functions in STAT3+ DLBCL patients. Disclosures: Winter: Millenium: Research Funding; Novartis : Research Funding; Pfizer (Wyeth): Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Spectrum: Research Funding; Janssen (Pharmacyclics): Research Funding; Spectrum (Allos): Consultancy; Sanofi Aventis: Consultancy; Tgen: Consultancy; AMBIT Biosciences (Spouse): Research Funding; Celgene (Spouse): DSMB, DSMB Other, Research Funding; Ariad Pharmaceuticals (Spouse): Research Funding; Novartis (Spouse): Consultancy, Research Funding; Amgen (Spouse): Consultancy, Research Funding; Astellas (Spouse): Research Funding; Caremark/CVS: Consultancy; Pfizer (Spouse): Consultancy; Sanofi Aventis (Spouse): DSMB, DSMB Other; Bristol Myers Squibb (Spouse): DSMB, DSMB Other; UptoDate, Inc.(Spouse): Patents & Royalties.

Context and objective Approximately 5-10% of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients carry MYC gene translocations (MYC-translocation+) with a poor prognosis after standard chemotherapy. MYC-translocation+ DLBCL patients carrying BCL2 translocations (MYC+/BCL2+ double-hit lymphoma) have a worse survival. The efficacy of adjuvant radiotherapy in this setting is unknown. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of radiotherapy as a part of the therapeutic regimen for patients with MYC-translocation+ DLBCL. Patients and methods From the International DLBCL R-CHOP consortium program, we selected 581 patients with de novo DLBCL treated with standard R-CHOP immunochemotherapy (diagnosed and treated from 2000 to 2010). We excluded patients with transformed DLBCL, primary mediastinal, cutaneous, testicular or central nervous system large B-cell lymphomas, patients with HIV infection, and patients not treated with R-CHOP. The median follow-up was 54.9 months. Fluorescence in situ hybridization assessing MYC was performed for all the patients (n=581) and results were correlated with available clinical data to identify clinicopathologic features associated with MYC translocation, and to evaluate the prognostic significance of MYC translocations regarding overall survival (OS, from the time of diagnosis to death from any cause) and progression-free survival (PFS, from the time of diagnosis to relapse or death from any cause). In the MYC-translocation+ DLBCL group, 38 patients received chemotherapy alone and 21 patients received chemotherapy with adjuvant radiation therapy. The clinicopathologic features and survival of MYC-translocation+ DLBCL patients treated with (n=21) and without radiotherapy (n=38) after immunochemotherapy were compared to in order to evaluate the radiotherapy efficacy and other confounding factors. Results MYC translocations were detected in 59 DLBCL patients (10.2%). Patients with MYC-translocation+ DLBCL more often had bulky tumors, involvement of multiple extranodal sites, and poorer OS (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.0, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20 - 3.35, P= .0083) and PFS (HR: 1.96, 95% CI: 1.22 - 3.13, P= .0005) independent of the International Prognostic Index score. Poor survival was primarily attributable to patients with MYC+/BCL2+ double-hit DLBCL who were predominantly of germinal center B-cell subtype. Among MYC-translocation+ DLBCL patients, a better survival was achieved in patients who received radiotherapy (for OS, HR: .32, 95% CI: .15 - .71, P= .0049; for PFS, HR: .35, 95% CI: .17 - .73, P= .0043). Conversely, radiotherapy abolished the adverse impact of MYC translocations. In addition, radiotherapy was associated with better survival in the subset of patients with MYC+/BCL2+ double-hit lymphoma (P = .017 for OS, and P = .05 for PFS). However, owing to the common use of radiotherapy as consolidation therapy, the favorable prognoses in the group of patients who received radiotherapy could also be attributed to limited-stage disease and more frequent complete remission (CR) after first-line treatment and therefore these factors confound interpretation of the data. To address these issues, we evaluated radiotherapy efficacy in separate patient groups: patients who achieved CR, non-CR (PR/SD/PD) patients, and patient with stage I/II, or stage III/IV disease. The efficacy of radiotherapy appeared more apparent in patients with advanced disease who did not achieve CR after first-line chemotherapy. Multivariate analysis after adjustment for stage and IPI score validated that radiotherapy significantly improved OS (HR: .28, 95% CI: .10 - .81, P= .018) and PFS (HR: .32, 95% CI: .13 - .80, P= .015) of MYC-translocation+ DLBCL patients. Conclusions The presence of MYC translocations in DLBCL is an important biomarker that facilitates prognostic prediction and treatment stratification independent of the IPI score. For chemoresistant MYC-translocation+ DLBCL patients, radiotherapy seems to be an effective adjuvant regimen likely due to the higher frequency of extranodal involvement and bulky disease in MYC-translocation+ DLBCL patients. Our results provide a rationale for larger scale studies to assess the potential role of radiotherapy in the management of MYC-translocation+ DLBCL patients, particularly patients with MYC+/BCL2+double-hit DLBCL. Disclosures: Winter: Millenium: Research Funding; Novartis : Research Funding; Pfizer (Wyeth): Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Spectrum: Research Funding; Janssen (Pharmacyclics): Research Funding; Spectrum (Allos): Consultancy; Sanofi Aventis: Consultancy; Tgen: Consultancy; AMBIT Biosciences (Spouse): Research Funding; Celgene (Spouse): DSMB, DSMB Other, Research Funding; Ariad Pharmaceuticals (Spouse): Research Funding; Novartis (Spouse): Consultancy, Research Funding; Amgen (Spouse): Consultancy, Research Funding; Astellas (Spouse): Research Funding; Caremark/CVS: Consultancy; Pfizer (Spouse): Consultancy; Sanofi Aventis (Spouse): DSMB, DSMB Other; Bristol Myers Squibb (Spouse): DSMB, DSMB Other; UptoDate, Inc.(Spouse): Patents & Royalties.

Abstract 544 Background: In DLBCL, multiple extranodal sites of involvement and MYC/BCL2 translocations (double hit lymphoma) are associated with a poor clinical outcome. The association between the pattern of extranodal involvement and MYC and BCL2 protein expression, as well as the prognostic significance of expression, are unknown. Methods: We analyzed the clinical data of 487 DLBCL patients treated with R-CHOP. Immunohistochemical (IHC) studies were performed on paraffin-embedded tissue samples for MYC and BCL2. A double-hit score (DHS) of 0, 1, or 2 was assigned to all patients based on protein expression of MYC and BCL2. Those with both MYC and BCL2 expression were DHS 2, with MYC or BCL2 was DHS 1, and neither was DHS 0. Cell-of-origin classification was achieved by combining gene expression profiling (GEP) and IHC data with GEP as the gold standard. Patient characteristics were compared using Fisher's exact test. Survival analyses were performed using Kaplan-Meier curves and compared using log-rank test. The Cox proportional regression model was used for multivariate analysis. Results: Approximately half of the patients (n = 251; 51.5%) had at least 1 extranodal site of involvement. In this group, the clinical features were: median age of 63 years (range, 12–88), male (58.6%), stage III/IV (63.2%), elevated serum LDH (66.8%), and International Prognostic Index (IPI) of 3–5 (48.5%). IHC features were: non-germinal center B-cell like (non-GCB) (53%), MYC+ (64.9%), BCL2+ (49.8%), MYC-/BCL2- (DHS 0; 20.3%), MYC+/BCL2- or MYC-/BCL2+ (DHS 1; 44.6%) and MYC+/BCL2+ (DHS 2; 35.1%). The common extranodal sites of involvement were genitourinary tract (18.3%), gastrointestinal tract (15.1%), sinonasal (14.3%), bones (13.9 %), lung (11.6 %), skin/soft tissues (9.9%), liver (9.1%), and bone marrow (8.4%). MYC+ was associated with bone marrow (odds ratio [OR]: 5.67; P = 0.009) and skin (OR: 3.11; P = 0.045) involvement, BCL2+ with sinonasal (OR: 2.26; P = 0.032) involvement, and MYC+/BCL2+ with skin/soft tissue (OR: 2.38; P = 0.049) and lung (OR: 2.37; P = 0.04) involvement. Non-GCB subtype was associated with genitourinary tract (OR: 1.47; P = 0.005) and bone marrow involvement (OR: 1.5; P = 0.038). The DHS 2 subgroup was significantly associated with lower complete response rate (62.5% vs 76.1%; P = 0.023), shorter progression-free-survival (PFS) (median 23.1 months vs 80.7 months; P < 0.001), and shorter overall survival (OS) (median 25.0 months vs 94.5 months; P < 0.001) compared with the DHS 0–1 subgroups. Using multivariate analysis, DHS 2 remained significantly associated with a worse outcome. Conclusions: In DLBCL with extranodal disease, MYC and BCL2 protein expressions and cell-of-origin are associated with distinct patterns of organ involvement. Patients with DLBCL expressing both MYC and BCL2 (score DHS 2; double hit biology) have a poor outcome independent of IPI and cell-of-origin. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 949 Introduction: Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has a highly variable outcome, and individual risk assessment is largely based on clinical features. Gene expression profiling (GEP) stratifies patients into those with germinal center B-cell (GCB) and activated B-cell subtype (ABC) subtype with different prognoses. These groups have been shown to predict prognosis in patients treated with CHOP or R-CHOP. Conversely, the role of other recognized prognostic markers, such as BCL2 gene abnormalities or Bcl2 expression has been questioned in the new therapeutic era. Materials and Methods: In 438 patients treated with R-CHOP for de novo DLBCL, we analyzed the tumors by immunohistochemistry for Bcl2 protein expression and by interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for BCL2 translocation and other abnormalities. All cases were successfully studied by GEP. The cutoff for Bcl2 protein expression, 60%, used as prognostic factor was determined using receiver operating characteristic curves. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed. Results: The t(14;18)(q32;q21) was detected in 82 cases (18.7%) and BCL2 gains occurred in 63 cases (14.3%). Both t(14;18) and BCL2 gains strongly correlated with higher levels of Bcl2 protein expression (p60%) tumors had significantly inferior PFS in the GCB subgroup (p=0.03), but not in the ABC subgroup (p=0.54). Multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of the t(14;18), but not Bcl2 protein expression, was independent of the International Prognostic Index in predicting outcome of our patients. Conclusions: Patients with the GCB subtype and t(14;18) exhibit a significantly worse prognosis than patients without t(14;18) when treated with R-CHOP. The assessment of t(14;18) by FISH approach not only functions as a valuable prognosticator for individual risk estimation in GCB-DLBCL patients in addition to the established parameters, but also provides valuable result for therapeutic intervention. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 3461 Expansion of CD3+ large granular lymphocytes (T-LGL) can be observed in situations such as viral infection, autoimmune disease, malignant neoplasm, and following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We sought to evaluate in patients treated with allogeneic HSCT incidence, characteristics, and clinical significance of persistent post-transplant T-LGL expansion. In this single center retrospective cohort study, we included all patients seen between January/08 and December/09 in our out-patient clinic for their regular follow-up. In patients with persistent lymphocytosis (>3 G/l for >3months) and an abnormal CD4/CD8 ratio, an extensive immunophenotyping was assessed; in case of an abnormal expansion of T-LGL cells a TCR gene rearrangement was performed. In 14 (7%) out of 215 evaluated patients a T-LGL expansion was diagnosed. Patients' characteristics with and without T-LGL expansion are summarized in Table 1. The median time between HSCT and diagnosis of lymphocytosis was 12 months (1-58). The median lymphocyte count was 4.24 G/l (3.0-26.5). The median duration of lymphocytosis was 29 (4-176) months. In 13/14 cases there was a CD3+/CD8+ immunophenotype, in 1 case was CD3+CD4+. In 5/14 patients a clonal TCR-gene rearrangement was observed. None of the patients presented neutropenia. Mild anemia was observed in 8/14 patients (57%), and thrombocytopenia in 2/14 patients; both changes were most probably not related with the T-LGL expansion. None of the patients had typical clinical signs of a T-LGL leukemia. In the univariate analysis acute GvHD and CMV reactivation were the only variables associated with T-LGL expansion, In the multivariate the relative risk (RR) of CMV reactivation was 5.063 (95%CI: 1.586–16.160; p=0.006) and the RR of acute GvHD grade 2–4 was 2.831 (95%CI: 0.831–9.648; p=0.096). Conclusion: we detected a T-LGL expansion in 7% of patients after HSCT. No symptoms or clinical signs related to T-LGL leukemia were observed. The T-LGL expansions, even when monoclonal, showed a chronic but indolent course. They have to be considered rather as an expression a chronic stimulation, triggered by causes such CMV reactivation or acute GvHD rather than as a malignant transformation. The question whether a T-LGL expansion plays a GvL role could not be answered in this study due to the small number of patients and the study design. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 967 Mutations of the TP53 tumor suppressor gene are associated with a poor clinical outcome in DLBCL patients treated with CHOP. The impact of TP53 mutations on clinical outcome of DLBCL patients treated with Rituxan-CHOP has not been comprehensively analyzed. The purpose of this study was to analyze the frequency and type of TP53 mutations in Rituxan-CHOP treated DLBCL patients from twenty-two medical centers, and to correlate these with clinical outcome. TP53 mutations were identified in 138/604 (22.7%) Rituxan-CHOP treated DLBCL cases and included missense (n=133), nonsense (n=16), splice site (n=9) and frameshift (n=1) mutations. The presence of any TP53 mutation correlated with poor overall survival (OS) with a median OS of 50 months in the TP53 mutation group versus 69 months in the wild-type group (wt-TP53, P=0.0042). Seventy-three of 138 cases (53%) had mutations in the DNA binding domains of the TP53 gene, which were found to be the most important predictor of poor OS (P=0.0044). In contrast, mutations in the non-DNA binding domains did not correlate with poor OS (P=0.157). Overexpression of p53 protein significantly correlated with only TP53 missense mutations (P=0.002), but not with other types of TP53 mutations, while TP53 deletion did not correlate with mutation or OS. In comparison to our previous series of patients treated only with CHOP, Rituxan-CHOP regimen improved OS in both wt-TP53 and TP53 mutated groups. The 5-year survival rate was 42% in patients with any TP53 mutation (median survival=50 months) and 41% in patients with the DNA-binding domain mutations (median survival=49 months) compared to 52% for those with wt-TP53 (median survival=69 months). The complete remission rate was 51% in patients with any TP53 mutation and 44% in patients with the DNA-binding domain mutations, compared to 77% for those with wt-TP53. However, the clinical outcome and treatment response to the Rituxan-CHOP varied in patients with mutations in different regions of the DNA-binding domains. Patients with mutations in the DNA minor binding groove motif (Loop L3, 17% of all mutations) had significantly decreased median OS (17 months) when compared to patients with Loop L2 (16% of all mutations) or loop-sheet-helix motifs (Loop L1-S10-H2, 20% of all mutations) with median OS of 49 and 50 months, respectively. In contrast to our previous CHOP series study, median survival was significantly improved for Rituxan-CHOP treated DLBCL patients with mutations in the loop-sheet-helix motifs (43 months). Multivariate analysis confirmed that TP53 mutations and activated B-cell-like (ABC)/germinal center B-cell-like (GCB) subtype classification were independent predictors of OS with a hazard ratio of 0.69 (GCB vs ABC, 95% CI 0.49-0.98) and 1.60 (TP53 vs wt-TP53, 95% CI 1.10-2.31), respectively. Similar to our previous CHOP study, the TP53 mutation profile, regardless of location, was found to stratify GCB-DLBCL, but not ABC-DLBCL, into molecularly distinct subsets with different clinical outcomes in Rituxan-CHOP treated DLBCL patients. This study demonstrates the importance of TP53 mutational profile for predicting clinical outcome. Elucidation of the roles of specific TP53 domain mutations, as documented in our study, will help in refining prognostic models for DLBCL patients treated with either the CHOP or Rituxan-CHOP regimen. These findings also provide the rationale and strategies for p53 targeted therapeutic intervention in DLBCL patients. Disclosures: Kahl: Milllennium: Consultancy, Research Funding; Cephalon: Consultancy, Research Funding.

Background Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma is one of the most common types of peripheral T-cell lymphomas, usually presenting at an older age with an aggressive clinical course. Its characteristic morphological presentation and follicular helper T-cell phenotype help to distinguish it from other T-cell lymphomas. Case presentation We recently encountered the unique case of a 63-year old patient with relapsed tumour-cell rich angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, presenting with a “classical” phenotype and, in addition, an acquired, strong, aberrant expression of CD20. “Lineage infidelity” of phenotypic markers is a well-documented phenomenon in lymphomas and leukemias, a circumstance currently still poorly understood and with the potential to bring about erroneous interpretations, causing diagnostic havoc. This case represents one of the few documented angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphomas with strong CD20 expression. Of interest, CD20 expression was only detected in the recurrent lymphoma and not upon initial diagnosis. The clinical importance of this finding lies in the potential for treatment with an anti-CD20 antibody, for instance Rituximab, in addition to standard chemotherapy protocols for angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma. Conclusion Diagnostic work-up of lymphomas to determine their lineage should therefore consider morphology, pheno- as well as genotypic characteristics, where appropriate, and in particular signs of progression and change in marker profile in relapsed cases e.g. acquisition of “non-lineage” markers such as CD20 in T-cell lymphoma.

502 Prognostic Significance of Survivin Expression in Patients with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Treated with R-CHOP Therapy: A Report from the International DLBCL Rituximab-CHOP Consortium Program Zhiyu Liu, Zijun Y. Xu-Monette, Xin Cao, Carlo Visco, Alexander Tzankov, Santiago Montes-Moreno, Karen Dybkaer, April Chiu, Attilio Orazi, Youli Zu, Govind Bhagat, Kristy L. Richards, Eric D. Hsi, William W.L. Choi, J. Han van Krieken, Jooryung Huh, Weiyun Ai, Maurilio Ponzoni, Andres J.M. Ferreri, John P. Farnen, Michael B. Moller, Jane N. Winter, Miguel A. Piris, L. Jeffrey Medeiros, Ken H. Young Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; San Bartolo Hospital, Vicenza, Italy; University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland; Hospital Universitario Marques de Valdecilla, Santander, Spain; Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA; Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA; The Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA; Columbia University Medical Center and New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA; University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA; University of Hong Kong Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Hong Kong, China; Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Asan Medical Center, Ulsan University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea; University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA; San Raffaele H. Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; Gundersen Lutheran Health System, La Crosse, WI, USA; Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark; Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

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