Cell Origin Subtypes Predict Outcomes in Localized-Stage Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Treated with Curative Radiotherapy

Yuko Watanabe, Hiroaki Suefuji, Etsuyo Ogo, Kensaku Sato, Tadashi Nakashima, Takashi Okamura, Koichi Ohshima, Naofumi Hayabuchi

Biostastics Center, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Japan.
Department of Hematology and Oncology, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Japan.
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Japan.
Department of Pathology, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Japan.
Department of Radiology, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Japan.

DOI: 10.4236/jct.2013.43A058                

Abstract

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is regarded as a heterogeneous group of lymphomas. The aims of this study were to determine the clinical significance and prognostic value of different immunophenotypic profiles in localized-stage head and neck DLBCL treated with curative radiotherapy. We included 102 localized-stage head and neck DLBCL patients in this study. We classified DLBCL patients into germinal center B-cell (GCB) and non-GCB groups by immunohistochemical analysis. Statistical analysis was used to correlate the GCB and non-GCB subgroups, CD5 and Ki67 expression, B-ALPS (a modified International Prognostic Index for early stage lymphoma), chemotherapy regimen, and sex. Multivariate analysis was performed using the Cox proportional hazard regression model to compare cause-specific survival (CSS) and relapse-free rate (RFR) distributions. The cell of origin classification (GCB or non-GCB subtypes) was an independent predictor of CSS (p = 0.040) and RFR (p = 0.023). In the non-GCB group, chemotherapy with rituximab was an independent predictor of CSS. In conclusion, this study shows that the prognosis of the non-GCB group was significantly poorer than that of the GCB group, and that rituximab improved CSS in localized-stage head and neck DLBCL, especially in the non-GCB group.

Keywords

GCB; Non-GCB; DLBCL; Localized-Stage; Prognosis

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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