Nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL) is a subtype of Hodgkin lymphoma with a preserved B‐cell phenotype and follicular T helper (TFH) cells rosetting around the tumor cells, the ...lymphocyte‐predominant (LP) cells. As we recently described reactivity of the B‐cell receptors of LP cells of some NLPHL cases with Moraxella spp. proteins, we hypothesized that LP cells could present peptides to rosetting T cells in a major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII)‐bound manner. Rosetting PD1+ T cells were present in the majority of NLPHL cases, both in typical (17/20) and variant patterns (16/19). In most cases, T‐cell rosettes were CD69+ (typical NLPHL, 17/20; NLPHL variant, 14/19). Furthermore, both MHCII alpha and beta chains were expressed in the LP cells in 23/39 NLPHL. Proximity ligation assay and confocal laser imaging demonstrated interaction of the MHCII beta chain expressed by the LP cells and the T‐cell receptor alpha chain expressed by rosetting T cells. We thus conclude that rosetting T cells in NLPHL express markers that are encountered after antigenic exposure, that MHCII is expressed by the LP cells, and that LP cells interact with rosetting T cells in an immunological synapse in a subset of cases. As they likely receive growth stimulatory signals in this way, blockade of this interaction, for example, by PD1‐directed checkpoint inhibitors, could be a treatment option in a subset of cases in the future.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Summary There is ample epidemiologic evidence for an association of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL). B-NHL subtypes most frequently associated with ...HCV are marginal zone lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The most convincing evidence for a causal relationship between HCV infection and lymphoma development is the observation of B-NHL regression after HCV eradication by antiviral therapy (AVT). In fact, for indolent HCV-associated B-NHL, first-line AVT instead of standard immune-chemotherapy might be considered. Molecular mechanisms of HCV-NHL development are still poorly understood. Three general theories have emerged to understand the HCV-induced lymphomagenesis: (1) continuous external stimulation of lymphocyte receptors by viral antigens and consecutive proliferation; (2) HCV replication in B cells with oncogenic effect mediated by intracellular viral proteins; (3) permanent B-cell damage, e.g., mutation of tumor suppressor genes, caused by a transiently intracellular virus (“hit and run” theory). This review systematically summarizes the data on epidemiology, interventional studies, and molecular mechanisms of HCV-associated B-NHL.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Summary
Different studies have characterized the microenvironment and its prognostic impact in classic Hodgkin lymphoma whereas such analyses are pending for nodular lymphocyte‐predominant Hodgkin ...lymphoma (NLPHL). We thus investigated characteristics of tumour cells and microenvironment in NLPHL and evaluated possible correlations with the clinical presentation. Lymph node samples from 152 NLPHL patients who had first‐line treatment within the randomized German Hodgkin Study Group HD16–HD18 trials were available and analysed with regard to IgD status and nuclear size of the tumour cells as well as presence of PD1‐positive follicular T helper cells and CD163‐positive macrophages in the microenvironment. While large tumour cell nuclei and high numbers of PD1‐positive follicular T helper cells in the microenvironment were more common in patients presenting with early/intermediate stages than in patients with advanced‐stage disease (p < 0.0001, unpaired t‐test; p = 0.0022, Mann–Whitney test), no differences between risk groups were observed in terms of the IgD status of the tumour cells and the content of CD163‐positive macrophages in the microenvironment. PD1‐positive follicular T helper cells were present in both cases with typical and variant growth patterns and rosetting around the tumour cells was observed in 96% of patients, indicating an important role of PD1‐positive follicular T helper cells in NLPHL.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
4.
Hodgkin lymphoma Küppers, Ralf; Engert, Andreas; Hansmann, Martin-Leo
The Journal of clinical investigation
122, Issue:
10
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), a B cell-derived cancer, is one of the most common lymphomas. In HL, the tumor cells--Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells--are usually very rare in the tissue. Although HRS ...cells are derived from mature B cells, they have largely lost their B cell phenotype and show a very unusual co-expression of markers of various hematopoietic cell types. HRS cells show deregulated activation of multiple signaling pathways and transcription factors. The activation of these pathways and factors is partly mediated through interactions of HRS cells with various other types of cells in the microenvironment, but also through genetic lesions. The transforming events involved in the pathogenesis of HL are only partly understood, but mutations affecting the NF-κB and JAK/STAT pathways are frequent. The dependency of HRS cells on microenvironmental interactions and deregulated signaling pathways may offer novel strategies for targeted therapies.
Summary In rare instances, two distinct lymphomas concurrently occur in a patient. Such composite lymphomas can be combinations of two non-Hodgkin lymphomas or a combination of a non-Hodgkin lymphoma ...and a Hodgkin's lymphoma. Composite lymphomas pose a particular diagnostic challenge, and there are currently no agreed standards for treatment. Combined B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas are often clonally unrelated. However, in many composite non-Hodgkin lymphomas and Hodgkin's lymphomas, the tumours are clonally related. In most of these instances, the malignant clones developed separately from a common precursor, usually a germinal centre B cell. This finding suggests a scenario in which the common premalignant precursor had acquired shared transforming events, and the two distinct lymphomas developed from descendants of that precursor after acquiring additional separate transforming events. Findings from molecular studies support this notion. Hence, clonally related composite lymphomas are elegant models to study the multistep transformation process in lymphomagenesis.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
TP53 is mutated in 20-25% of aggressive B-cell lymphoma (B-NHL). To date, no studies have addressed the impact of TP53 mutations in prospective clinical trial cohorts. To evaluate the impact of TP53 ...mutation to current risk models in aggressive B-NHL, we investigated TP53 gene mutations within the RICOVER-60 trial. Of 1,222 elderly patients (aged 61-80 years) enrolled in the study and randomized to six or eight cycles of CHOP-14 with or without Rituximab (NCT00052936), 265 patients were analyzed for TP53 mutations. TP53 mutations were demonstrated in 63 of 265 patients (23.8%). TP53 mutation was associated with higher LDH (65% vs. 37%; p < 0.001), higher international prognostic index-Scores (IPI 4/5 27% vs. 12%; p = 0.025) and B-symptoms (41% vs. 24%; p = 0.011). Patients with TP53 mutation were less likely to obtain a complete remission CR/CRu (CR unconfirmed) 61.9% (mut) vs. 79.7% (wt) (p = 0.007). TP53 mutations were associated with decreased event-free (EFS), progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) (median observation time of 40.2 months): the 3 year EFS, PFS and OS were 42% (vs. 60%; p = 0.012), 42% (vs. 67.5%; p < 0.001) and 50% (vs. 76%; p < 0.001) for the TP53 mutation group. In a Cox proportional hazard analysis adjusting for IPI-factors and treatment arms, TP53 mutation was shown to be an independent predictor of EFS (HR 1.5), PFS (HR 2.0) and OS (HR 2.3; p < 0.001). TP53 mutations are independent predictors of survival in untreated patients with aggressive CD20+ lymphoma. TP53 mutations should be considered for risk models in DLBCL and strategies to improve outcome for patients with mutant TP53 must be developed.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The nucleoside analog cytarabine (Ara-C) is an essential component of primary and salvage chemotherapy regimens for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). After cellular uptake, Ara-C is converted into its ...therapeutically active triphosphate metabolite, Ara-CTP, which exerts antileukemic effects, primarily by inhibiting DNA synthesis in proliferating cells. Currently, a substantial fraction of patients with AML fail to respond effectively to Ara-C therapy, and reliable biomarkers for predicting the therapeutic response to Ara-C are lacking. SAMHD1 is a deoxynucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) triphosphohydrolase that cleaves physiological dNTPs into deoxyribonucleosides and inorganic triphosphate. Although it has been postulated that SAMHD1 sensitizes cancer cells to nucleoside-analog derivatives through the depletion of competing dNTPs, we show here that SAMHD1 reduces Ara-C cytotoxicity in AML cells. Mechanistically, dGTP-activated SAMHD1 hydrolyzes Ara-CTP, which results in a drastic reduction of Ara-CTP in leukemic cells. Loss of SAMHD1 activity-through genetic depletion, mutational inactivation of its triphosphohydrolase activity or proteasomal degradation using specialized, virus-like particles-potentiates the cytotoxicity of Ara-C in AML cells. In mouse models of retroviral AML transplantation, as well as in retrospective analyses of adult patients with AML, the response to Ara-C-containing therapy was inversely correlated with SAMHD1 expression. These results identify SAMHD1 as a potential biomarker for the stratification of patients with AML who might best respond to Ara-C-based therapy and as a target for treating Ara-C-refractory AML.
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IJS, NUK, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) is usually characterized by a low tumour cell content, derived from crippled germinal centre B cells. Rare cases have been described in which the tumour cells show ...clonal T‐cell receptor rearrangements. From a clinicopathological perspective, it is unclear if these cases should be classified as cHL or anaplastic large T‐cell lymphoma (ALCL). Since we recently observed differences in the motility of ALCL and cHL tumour cells, here, we aimed to obtain a better understanding of T‐cell‐derived cHL by investigating their global proteomic profiles and their motility. In a proteomics analysis, when only motility‐associated proteins were regarded, T‐cell‐derived cHL cell lines showed the highest similarity to ALK− ALCL cell lines. In contrast, T‐cell‐derived cHL cell lines presented a very low overall motility, similar to that observed in conventional cHL. Whereas all ALCL cell lines, as well as T‐cell‐derived cHL, predominantly presented an amoeboid migration pattern with uropod at the rear, conventional cHL never presented with uropods. The migration of ALCL cell lines was strongly impaired upon application of different inhibitors. This effect was less pronounced in cHL cell lines and almost invisible in T‐cell‐derived cHL. In summary, our cell line‐derived data suggest that based on proteomics and migration behaviour, T‐cell‐derived cHL is a neoplasm that shares features with both cHL and ALCL and is not an ALCL with low tumour cell content. Complementary clinical studies on this lymphoma are warranted.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
This study deals with 3D laser investigation on the border between the human lymph node T-zone and germinal centre. Only a few T-cells specific for antigen selected B-cells are allowed to enter ...germinal centres. This selection process is guided by sinus structures, chemokine gradients and inherent motility of the lymphoid cells. We measured gaps and wall-like structures manually, using IMARIS, a 3D image software for analysis and interpretation of microscopy datasets. In this paper, we describe alpha-actin positive and semipermeable walls and wall-like structures that may hinder T-cells and other cell types from entering germinal centres. Some clearly defined holes or gaps probably regulate lymphoid traffic between T- and B-cell areas. In lymphadenitis, the morphology of this border structure is clearly defined. However, in case of malignant lymphoma, the wall-like structure is disrupted. This has been demonstrated exemplarily in case of angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma. We revealed significant differences of lengths of the wall-like structures in angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma in comparison with wall-like structures in reactive tissue slices. The alterations of morphological structures lead to abnormal and less controlled T- and B-cell distributions probably preventing the immune defence against tumour cells and infectious agents by dysregulating immune homeostasis.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Purpose To explore the prognostic impact and interdependence of the cell-of-origin (COO) classification, dual expression (DE) of MYC and BCL2 proteins, and MYC, BCL2, and BCL6 translocations in two ...prospectively randomized clinical trials of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Patients and Methods Overall, 452 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples from two prospective, randomized DLBCL trials (RICOVER-60, prospective, randomized study for patients > 60 years, all IPI groups; and R-MegaCHOEP, prospective, randomized study for patients ≤ 60 years with age-adjusted IPI 2,3) of the German High-Grade Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Study Group were analyzed with the Lymph2Cx assay for COO classification, with immunohistochemistry for MYC and BCL2, and with fluorescent in situ hybridization for MYC, BCL2, and BCL6 rearrangements. Results COO classification was successful in 414 of 452 samples. No significant differences with respect to COO (activated B-cell ABC-like DLBCL v germinal center B-cell GCB-like DLBCL) were observed in event-free survival, progression-free survival, and overall survival in patients treated with rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) in the RICOVER-60 trial. Also, no differences with respect to COO were observed in multivariable analyses adjusted for International Prognostic Index factors in event-free survival (hazard ratio HR of ABC-like disease v GCB-like disease, 1.0; 95% CI, 0.6 to 1.6; P = .93), progression-free survival (HR, 1.1; 95% CI, 0.6 to 1.8; P = .82), and overall survival (HR, 1.0; 95% CI, 0.6 to 1.8; P = .96). Similar results were observed in the R-MegaCHOEP trial. In patients treated with R-CHOP, DE status was associated with significantly inferior survival compared with nonDE within the GCB, but not within the ABC subgroup. DE status was associated with significantly inferior outcome compared with patients with ABC-like DLBCL without DE (5-year PFS rate, 39% 95% CI,19% to 59% v 68% 95% CI, 52% to 85%; P = .03) and compared with patients with GCB-like DLBCL without DE. When data from patients with nonDE were analyzed separately, the outcome of patients in the ABC subgroup was inferior to that of patients in the GCB subgroup (5-year PFS rate, 68% 95% CI, 52% to 85% v 85% 95% CI, 74% to 96%; P = .04). Conclusion COO profiling in two prospective randomized DLBCL trials failed to identify prognostic subgroups, whereas dual expression of MYC and BCL2 was predictive of poor survival. Evaluation of prognostic or predictive biomarkers in the management of DLBCL, such as the COO, within prospective clinical trials will be important in the future.
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