Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Pediatric Transplants

Impact of germinal center and non-germinal center phenotypes on overall and failure-free survival after high-dose chemotherapy and auto-SCT in primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Abstract

Non-germinal center (non-GC) phenotype is an adverse prognostic factor in chemotherapy (CT)-treated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. To determine how high-dose therapy (HDT) supported with auto-SCT as first line therapy influences GC-associated outcome in young high-risk DLBCL patients GC and non-GC phenotypes were determined immunohistochemically from 63 patients. Of these, 29 primary high-risk DLBCL patients were treated with auto-SCT, whereas 34 CT-treated patients served as a control group. Consistent with previous studies, non-GC phenotype was associated with adverse outcome in CT-treated high-risk patients. In contrast, immunohistochemical classification by cell of origin did not associate with survival after auto-SCT. When the impact of treatment on the predictive value of cell of origin was analyzed, the non-GC patients, who received HDT, had a better failure-free survival (FFS) and overall survival (OS) than the patients treated with CT alone. In multivariate analyses, both age-adjusted International Prognostic Index (aaIPI) and treatment were independent prognostic factors for FFS and OS. For the patients with GC phenotype, the influence of auto-SCT on survival was not significant. The data imply that auto-SCT can overcome the adverse prognostic impact of the non-GC phenotype in patients with high-risk DLBCL and warrant additional prospective studies.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Lossos IS . Molecular pathogenesis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. J Clin Oncol 2005; 23: 6351–6357.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. IPI-Project. A predictive model for aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The International Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Prognostic Factors Project. N Engl J Med 1993; 329: 987–994.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Hamlin PA, Zelenetz AD, Kewalramani T, Qin J, Satagopan JM, Verbel D et al. Age-adjusted international prognostic index predicts autologous stem cell transplantation outcome for patients with relapsed or primary refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Blood 2003; 102: 1989–1996.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Alizadeh AA, Eisen MB, Davis RE, Ma C, Lossos IS, Rosenwald A et al. Distinct types of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma identified by gene expression profiling. Nature 2000; 403: 503–511.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Rosenwald A, Wright G, Chan WC, Connors JM, Campo E, Fisher RI et al. The use of molecular profiling to predict survival after chemotherapy for diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma. N Engl J Med 2002; 346: 1937–1947.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Hans CP, Weisenburger DD, Greiner TC, Gascoyne RD, Delabie J, Ott G et al. Confirmation of the molecular classification of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma by immunohistochemistry using a tissue microarray. Blood 2004; 103: 275–282.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Berglund M, Thunberg U, Amini RM, Book M, Roos G, Erlanson M et al. Evaluation of immunophenotype in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and its impact on prognosis. Mod Pathol 2005; 18: 1113–1120.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Zinzani PL, Dirnhofer S, Sabattini E, Alinari L, Piccaluga PP, Stefoni V et al. Identification of outcome predictors in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Immunohistochemical profiling of homogeneously treated de novo tumors with nodal presentation on tissue micro-arrays. Haematologica 2005; 90: 341–347.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Nyman H, Adde M, Karjalainen-Lindsberg ML, Taskinen M, Berglund M, Amini RM et al. Prognostic impact of immunohistochemically defined germinal center phenotype in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients treated with immunochemotherapy. Blood 2007; 109: 4930–4935.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Winter JN, Weller EA, Horning SJ, Krajewska M, Variakojis D, Habermann TM et al. Prognostic significance of Bcl-6 protein expression in DLBCL treated with CHOP or R-CHOP: a prospective correlative study. Blood 2006; 107: 4207–4213.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Moskowitz CH, Zelenetz AD, Kewalramani T, Hamlin P, Lessac-Chenen S, Houldsworth J et al. Cell of origin, germinal center versus nongerminal center, determined by immunohistochemistry on tissue microarray, does not correlate with outcome in patients with relapsed and refractory DLBCL. Blood 2005; 106: 3383–3385.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Greb A, Bohlius J, Trelle S, Schiefer D, De Souza CA, Gisselbrecht C et al. High-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell support in first-line treatment of aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma—results of a comprehensive meta-analysis. Cancer Treat Rev 2007; 33: 338–346.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. van Imhoff GW, Boerma EJ, van der Holt B, Schuuring E, Verdonck LF, Kluin-Nelemans HC et al. Prognostic impact of germinal center-associated proteins and chromosomal breakpoints in poor-risk diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. J Clin Oncol 2006; 24: 4135–4142.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Veelken H, Vik Dannheim S, Schulte Moenting J, Martens U, Finke J, Schmitt-Graeff A . Immunophenotype as prognostic factor for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in patients undergoing clinical risk-adapted therapy. Ann Oncol 2007; 18: 931–939.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Jerkeman M, Anderson H, Cavallin-Stahl E, Dictor M, Hagberg H, Johnson A et al. CHOP versus MACOP-B in aggressive lymphoma—a Nordic Lymphoma Group randomised trial. Ann Oncol 1999; 10: 1079–1086.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Fisher RI, Gaynor ER, Dahlberg S, Oken MM, Grogan TM, Mize EM et al. Comparison of a standard regimen (CHOP) with three intensive chemotherapy regimens for advanced non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. N Engl J Med 1993; 328: 1002–1006.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. O'Reilly SE, Hoskins P, Klimo P, Connors JM . MACOP-B and VACOP-B in diffuse large cell lymphomas and MOPP/ABV in Hodgkin's disease. Ann Oncol 1991; 2 (Suppl 1): 17–23.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Colomo L, Lopez-Guillermo A, Perales M, Rives S, Martinez A, Bosch F et al. Clinical impact of the differentiation profile assessed by immunophenotyping in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Blood 2003; 101: 78–84.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. De Paepe P, Achten R, Verhoef G, Wlodarska I, Stul M, Vanhentenrijk V et al. Large cleaved and immunoblastic lymphoma may represent two distinct clinicopathologic entities within the group of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. J Clin Oncol 2005; 23: 7060–7068.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Gisselbrecht C, Lepage E, Molina T, Quesnel B, Fillet G, Lederlin P et al. Shortened first-line high-dose chemotherapy for patients with poor-prognosis aggressive lymphoma. J Clin Oncol 2002; 20: 2472–2479.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Haioun C, Lepage E, Gisselbrecht C, Salles G, Coiffier B, Brice P et al. Survival benefit of high-dose therapy in poor-risk aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: final analysis of the prospective LNH87-2 protocol—a groupe d'Etude des lymphomes de l'Adulte study. J Clin Oncol 2000; 18: 3025–3030.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Kaiser U, Uebelacker I, Abel U, Birkmann J, Trumper L, Schmalenberg H et al. Randomized study to evaluate the use of high-dose therapy as part of primary treatment for ‘aggressive’ lymphoma. J Clin Oncol 2002; 20: 4413–4419.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Martelli M, Gherlinzoni F, De Renzo A, Zinzani PL, De Vivo A, Cantonetti M et al. Early autologous stem-cell transplantation versus conventional chemotherapy as front-line therapy in high-risk, aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: an Italian multicenter randomized trial. J Clin Oncol 2003; 21: 1255–1262.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Milpied N, Deconinck E, Gaillard F, Delwail V, Foussard C, Berthou C et al. Initial treatment of aggressive lymphoma with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem-cell support. N Engl J Med 2004; 350: 1287–1295.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Karin M, Lin A . NF-kappaB at the crossroads of life and death. Nat Immunol 2002; 3: 221–227.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Wang CY, Cusack Jr JC, Liu R, Baldwin Jr AS . Control of inducible chemoresistance: enhanced anti-tumor therapy through increased apoptosis by inhibition of NF-kappaB. Nat Med 1999; 5: 412–417.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Davis RE, Brown KD, Siebenlist U, Staudt LM . Constitutive nuclear factor kappaB activity is required for survival of activated B cell-like diffuse large B cell lymphoma cells. J Exp Med 2001; 194: 1861–1874.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. Pfreundschuh M, Trumper L, Osterborg A, Pettengell R, Trneny M, Imrie K et al. CHOP-like chemotherapy plus rituximab versus CHOP-like chemotherapy alone in young patients with good-prognosis diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma: a randomised controlled trial by the MabThera International Trial (MInT) Group. Lancet Oncol 2006; 7: 379–391.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The study was supported by grants from Finnish Medical Foundation, Finnish Cancer Societies, Juselius Foundation, University of Helsinki, Helsinki University Central Hospital, the Swedish Cancer Society, the Lions Research Foundation and the Research Foundation of the Department of Oncology, Uppsala University Hospital.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to S Leppä.

Additional information

Supplementary Information accompanies the paper on Bone Marrow Transplantation website (http://www.nature.com/bmt)

Supplementary information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nyman, H., Jantunen, E., Juvonen, E. et al. Impact of germinal center and non-germinal center phenotypes on overall and failure-free survival after high-dose chemotherapy and auto-SCT in primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Bone Marrow Transplant 42, 93–98 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2008.92

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2008.92

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links