Notch 1 and NF-κB Expression and Clinical Correlation in Chinese Patients with Lymphoblastic Lymphoma

Lin Lin, Xiaofei Sun, Juan Wang, Zijun Zhen, Suxia Lin, Gangling Tong, Yan Chen

Department of Pediatric Oncology, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China.
State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangzhou, China.

DOI: 10.4236/jct.2013.43A053                

Abstract

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (T-ALL/T-LBL) is commonly associated with Notch 1 mutations. There is limited data on the relationship between Notch l and NF-κB expression and clinical features in LBL. We evaluated the expression of Notch l and NF-κB in LBL using immunohistochemistry and analyzed their relationship with clinical characteristics, treatment results, and survival. From October 2000 to August 2008, 34 untreated patients with LBL were enrolled in the study. Median age was 11.8 years (range, 1 - 25 years). Twenty-five patients were diagnosed with T-LBL and 9 patients with B-LBL. Most patients received chemotherapy consisting of modified ALL-BFM- 90. Notch l showed high expression in 68% of T-LBL and low expression in 100% of B-LBL (p = 0.015). High expression of Notch l positively correlated with presence of a mediastinal mass but not with 5-year event free survival (EFS) in T-LBL. NF-κB showed high expression in 65% of all patients with LBL, with no difference between T- and B-LBL. NF-κB expression was higher in T-LBL patients with bulky disease and B symptom; it did not correlate with 5-year EFS in T-LBL. Expression of Notch 1 and NF-κB strongly correlated (p = 0.014) in T-LBL. Notch 1 is highly ex- pressed in T-LBL. NF-κB is highly expressed in all patients with LBL with no difference between T-LBL and B-LBL. Notch 1 expression was significantly associated with NF-κB expression in T-LBL. Notch l and NF-κB may play an important role in the development of T-LBL; further investigation is warranted.

Keywords

Lymphoblastic Lymphoma; Notch l; NF-κB

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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