Clinicopathologic significance of tumor microenvironment CD11c, and FOXP3 expression in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients receiving rituximab, cyclophosphamide, anthracycline, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) combination chemotherapy

BACKGROUND/AIMS: CD11c is a dendritic cell marker in humans, which potentially induces a cytotoxic effect on lymphoma cells. Forkhead boxP3 (FOXP3) is a regulator of T lymphocyte in the microenvironment of the lymphoma. The principal objective of this study was to determine whether the tumors' microenvironment expressions of CD11c and FOXP3 are predictive of clinical outcomes in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients receiving treatment with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, anthracycline, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) combination chemotherapy. METHODS: The study population consisted of 100 patients with DLBCL. The CD11c and FOXP3 expression in primary tumors' microenvironment were evaluated using an immunohistochemistry (IHC). RESULTS: CD11c and FOXP3 expression positivity in microenvironment were 25% and 35%, respectively. Each one counted for 1 point. In CD11c and FOXP3 stain, positive was counted as 0 and negative was 1. The points were separated into low risk (0 to 1) and high risk (2) groups. Only the extranodal DLBCL patient group analysis conveyed significant differences of progression-free survival (p = 0.019) and overall survival (p = 0.039) between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: We can achieve possible clinical significance of lymphoma tumor microenvironments through CD11c and FOXP3 IHC stains in extranodal DLBCL patients receiving R-CHOP therapy.

Analysis of factors affecting hemorrhagic diathesis and overall survival in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study investigated whether patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) truly fulfill the diagnostic criteria of overt disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), as proposed by the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) and the Korean Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis (KSTH), and analyzed which component of the criteria most contributes to bleeding diathesis. METHODS: A single-center retrospective analysis was conducted on newly diagnosed APL patients between January 1995 and May 2012. RESULTS: A total of 46 newly diagnosed APL patients were analyzed. Of these, 27 patients (58.7%) showed initial bleeding. The median number of points per patient fulfilling the diagnostic criteria of overt DIC by the ISTH and the KSTH was 5 (range, 1 to 7) and 3 (range, 1 to 4), respectively. At diagnosis of APL, 22 patients (47.8%) fulfilled the overt DIC diagnostic criteria by either the ISTH or KSTH. In multivariate analysis of the ISTH or KSTH diagnostic criteria for overt DIC, the initial fibrinogen level was the only statistically significant factor associated with initial bleeding (p = 0.035), but it was not associated with overall survival (OS). CONCLUSIONS: Initial fibrinogen level is associated with initial presentation of bleeding of APL patients, but does not affect OS.