ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the molecular mechanism and prognostication of bcl-2 protein expression in different subgroups of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(DLBCL) in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Immunohistochemical stains for CD10, bcl-6, MUM-1, bcl-2 and NF-κB were performed in 214 cases of DLBCL. The Hans immunologic classification was applied to classify DLBCL into GCB and non-GCB subgroups. Using a dual-probe fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) assay, IgH/bcl-2 gene translocation and bcl-2 amplification were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In 214 cases of DLBCL, 30.8% (66/214) of cases were GCB and 69.2% (148/214) were non-GCB. Twenty-seven point three percent (18/66) of GCB subgroups and 59.5% (88/148) of non-GCB subgroups had bcl-2 protein expression, with a significant difference (P < 0.01). IgH/bcl-2 translocation was positive in 3.7% (8/214) of cases, even majority of them (6/8) was found in GCB subgroup, while represented only 9.1% of GCB case. There was a significant difference (P = 0.02) in bcl-2 gene amplification between GCB (27/66, 40.9%) and non-GCB subgroup (86/148, 58.1%). Among non-GCB cases, the expression of bcl-2 was correlated with that of NF-κB expression and bcl-2 gene amplification (r = 0.216 and 0.219, respectively, P < 0.05). No similar correlation was observed in GCB cases. The overall survival time of bcl-2-positive patients (31.4 ± 3.8) months was shorter than that of bcl-2-negative patients (40.2 ± 4.2) months. In conjunction with immunophenotypes and clinical stages, the bcl-2 positive patients had a 1.89 times higher risk than that of the bcl-2 negative patients.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Majority of the cases were prognostically unfavorable non-GCB subgroups among DLBCL, which were characterized by high frequency of bcl-2 gene amplification and low frequency of IgH/bcl-2 translocation. The anti-apoptotic gene bcl-2 was frequently expressed in non-GCB subgroups and closely related to the gene amplification and NF-κB activation. bcl-2 positive patients had more short overall survival times, would face significant higher risk of death, these results suggested that bcl-2 could be a prognostic marker independent to clinical staging and immunophenotyping.</p>
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Young Adult , Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols , Therapeutic Uses , Cyclophosphamide , Therapeutic Uses , Doxorubicin , Therapeutic Uses , Gene Amplification , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic , Genes, bcl-2 , Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains , Genetics , In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence , Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse , Classification , Drug Therapy , Genetics , Metabolism , Pathology , NF-kappa B , Metabolism , Prednisone , Therapeutic Uses , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 , Genetics , Metabolism , Survival Rate , Translocation, Genetic , Vincristine , Therapeutic UsesABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the genetic aberrations of ocular extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphomas of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) type occurring in patients from southern China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty seven paraffin-embedded ocular MALT lymphoma specimens from patients in southern China were studied by interphase fluorescence-in-situ hybridization (FISH) for genetic aberrations including t(11;18)(q21;q21)/API2-MALT1, t(1;14)(p22;q32)/IgH-bcl-10, t(14;18) (q32;q21)/IgH-MALT1 and bcl-6/FOXP1 gene translocations.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Amongst the 57 cases studied, 9 cases (15.8%) showed chromosome translocations, including 4 cases (7.0%) of t(11;18)(q21;q21)/API2-MALT1, 1 case (1.8%) of t(14;18) (q32;q21)/IgH-MALT1, 1 case (1.8%) of bcl-6 gene-related chromosome translocation and 3 cases (5.3%) of IgH-unknown translocation partner. FISH revealed 17 cases (29.8%) with 3 copies of bcl-6 gene, 21 cases (36.8%) with 3 copies of MALT1 gene and 12 cases (21.1%) with 3 copies of both genes.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The MALT lymphoma-associated chromosome translocations t(11;18)(q21;q21)/API2-MALT1 and t(14;18) (q32;q21)/IgH-MALT1 are demonstrated in ocular MALT lymphomas of southern Chinese patients. The prevalence is significantly different from that reported in northern Chinese and northern American patients, indicating a geographic heterogeneity in the MALT lymphoma-associated genetic aberrations. The presence of 3 copies of bcl-6 and MALT1 genes is the commonest genetic abnormalities observed in ocular MALT lymphomas, suggesting a possible role in MALT lymphomagenesis.</p>