Composite lymphoma (CL) involving B-cell lymphoma and T-cell lymphoma is extremely rare. Herein, we report three such cases using immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, and the next-generation sequencing (NGS) to identify the pathological and molecular characteristics of CL. In the first case, the patient was admitted to hospital for generalized pruritic maculopapular rash over the whole body. An excisional biopsy of the skin lesions showed T-cell lymphoma. At the same time, the staging bone marrow (BM) biopsy revealed a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). After R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) therapies, the patient produced a good response with substantial dissipation of the rashes and relief of skin. The other two patients were admitted to hospital due to lymphadenopathy and were diagnosed with DLBCL and follicular lymphoma (FL) after core needle biopsy of lymph nodes, BM biopsy, BM aspiration, and flow cytometry. Following R-CHOP and R-COP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone) therapies, they achieved complete remission unconfirmed (CRu) and complete remission (CR). However, one or two years later, they suffered a relapse of lymphadenopathy. The shocking fact was that re-biopsy of lymphadenopathy revealed peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) and angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL). NGS findings identified DNA methyltransferase 3a (DNMT3a), isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2), Ras homolog gene family, member A (RHOA), splicing factor 3B subunit 1 (SF3B1), and tumor protein p53 (TP53) mutations. After immunochemotherapy, these patients achieved CRu and CR again. Nevertheless, they suffered a second relapse of T-cell lymphoma. Finally, they died due to progression of disease. We found that the occurrence of CL is associated with Epstein-Barr virus infection and DNMT3a, IDH2, and TP53 mutations, and the prognosis of the disease is closely related to the T-cell lymphoma components.
Humans ; Rituximab/therapeutic use* ; Vincristine/therapeutic use* ; Prednisone/therapeutic use* ; Epstein-Barr Virus Infections/drug therapy* ; Herpesvirus 4, Human ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Lymphoma, T-Cell/drug therapy* ; Cyclophosphamide/therapeutic use* ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/pathology* ; Doxorubicin/therapeutic use* ; Lymphadenopathy/drug therapy* ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use*

BACKGROUND: To compare the efficacy and safety of dose-adjusted etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin plus rituximab (DA-EPOCH-R) with standard rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) in Waldeyer's ring diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (WR-DLBCL) at a single institution. METHODS: This retrospective study included 115 newly diagnosed patients with WR-DLBCL, of whom 68 patients received R-CHOP, and 47 patients received DA-EPOCH-R as their first-line treatment. The baseline features of the two groups were well balanced using a 1:1 propensity score matching method, and a total of 84 cases were obtained, including respective 42 cases in the R-CHOP and DA-EPOCH-R groups, for further survival and prognosis analysis. The primary objectives included progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 45 months, there were nine (21.4%) deaths in the R-CHOP group and two (4.8%) in the DA-EPOCH-R group. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed statistically significant improvements in PFS and OS in patients with DA-EPOCH-R compared with those treated with R-CHOP (log-rank test, P  = 0.025 and P  = 0.035, respectively). The 2-year PFS and OS rates in the DA-EPOCH-R group were 90.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 81.4-99.8%) and 95.2% (95% CI: 89.0-100.0%), respectively, and 80.5% (95% CI: 69.3-93.6%) and 90.5% (95% CI: 52.8-99.8%) in the R-CHOP group. Patients without B symptoms and elevated lactate dehydrogenase levels had a higher PFS in the DA-EPOCH-R group, with P values of 0.038 (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.11; 95% CI: 0.01-0.88) and 0.042 (HR: 0.19; 95% CI: 0.04-0.94), respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in clinical responses and treatment-related toxicities between the two groups. CONCLUSION Compared with patients received R-CHOP, those treated by DA-EPOCH-R had superior PFS, OS, and controlled toxicity in patients with WR-DLBCL.
Humans ; Rituximab/therapeutic use* ; Vincristine/therapeutic use* ; Retrospective Studies ; Prednisone/therapeutic use* ; Etoposide/therapeutic use* ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/drug therapy* ; Cyclophosphamide/therapeutic use* ; Doxorubicin/therapeutic use*

Objective: To analyze the clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis of testicular diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) . Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 68 patients with testicular DLBCL admitted to Ruijin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from October 2001 to April 2020. The gene mutation profile was evaluated by targeted sequencing (55 lymphoma-related genes) , and prognostic factors were analyzed. Results: A total of 68 patients were included, of whom 45 (66.2% ) had primary testicular DLBCL and 23 (33.8% ) had secondary testicular DLBCL. The proportion of secondary testicular DLBCL patients with Ann Arbor stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ (P<0.001) , elevated LDH (P<0.001) , ECOG score ≥ 2 points (P=0.005) , and IPI score 3-5 points (P<0.001) is higher than that of primary testicular DLBCL patients. Sixty-two (91% ) patients received rituximab in combination with cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) -based first-line regimen, whereas 54 cases (79% ) underwent orchiectomy prior to chemotherapy. Patients with secondary testicular DLBCL had a lower estimated 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate (16.5% vs 68.1% , P<0.001) and 5-year overall survival (OS) rate (63.4% vs 74.9% , P=0.008) than those with primary testicular DLBCL, and their complete remission rate (57% vs 91% , P=0.003) was also lower than that of primary testicular DLBCL. The ECOG scores of ≥2 (PFS: P=0.018; OS: P<0.001) , Ann Arbor stages Ⅲ-Ⅳ (PFS: P<0.001; OS: P=0.018) , increased LDH levels (PFS: P=0.015; OS: P=0.006) , and multiple extra-nodal involvements (PFS: P<0.001; OS: P=0.013) were poor prognostic factors in testicular DLBCL. Targeted sequencing data in 20 patients with testicular DLBCL showed that the mutation frequencies of ≥20% were PIM1 (12 cases, 60% ) , MYD88 (11 cases, 55% ) , CD79B (9 cases, 45% ) , CREBBP (5 cases, 25% ) , KMT2D (5 cases, 25% ) , ATM (4 cases, 20% ) , and BTG2 (4 cases, 20% ) . The frequency of mutations in KMT2D in patients with secondary testicular DLBCL was higher than that in patients with primary testicular DLBCL (66.7% vs 7.1% , P=0.014) and was associated with a lower 5-year PFS rate in patients with testicular DLBCL (P=0.019) . Conclusion: Patients with secondary testicular DLBCL had worse PFS and OS than those with primary testicular DLBCL. The ECOG scores of ≥2, Ann Arbor stages Ⅲ-Ⅳ, increased LDH levels, and multiple extra-nodal involvements were poor prognostic factors in testicular DLBCL. PIM1, MYD88, CD79B, CREBBP, KMT2D, ATM, and BTG2 were commonly mutated genes in testicular DLBCL, and the prognosis of patients with KMT2D mutations was poor.
Male ; Adult ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88 ; China/epidemiology* ; Testicular Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Cyclophosphamide ; Rituximab/therapeutic use* ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/drug therapy* ; Prednisone/therapeutic use* ; Doxorubicin/therapeutic use* ; Vincristine/therapeutic use* ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Immediate-Early Proteins/therapeutic use* ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins

OBJECTIVES: To study the characteristics of vincristine-induced peripheral neuropathy (VIPN) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and the factors influencing the development of VIPN. METHODS: The children with ALL, aged 1-18 years, who were treated with CCCG-ALL2015 or CCCG-ALL2020 regimen in the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University from January 2018 to February 2022 were enrolled as subjects. According to the influence of age on risk, the children were divided into 1-10 years group with 91 children and >10 years group with 29 children. VIPN was graded according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (5th edition), and the incidence rate, severity, and type of VIPN were compared between different groups. RESULTS: A total of 120 children were enrolled in this study, among whom 56 (46.7%) developed VIPN. The >10 years group had a significantly higher incidence rate of VIPN than the 1-10 years group (69% vs 40%, P<0.05). Among the 56 children with VIPN, 12 (21%) had grade 3 VIPN or above, and 44 (79%) had grade 2 VIPN. There were 77 cases of autonomic nerve symptoms (59.7%), 42 cases of peripheral nerve injury (32.5%), and 10 cases of cranial nerve injury (7.8%). There were no significant differences in the severity and type of VIPN between the groups with different ages, sexes, degrees of risk, or treatment regimens (P>0.05). The results of binary logistic regression analysis showed that age is the influencing factor for the occurrence of VIPN (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS There is a relatively high incidence rate of VIPN in children with ALL, with the highest incidence rate of autonomic nervous symptoms. The incidence of VIP in children over 10 years old is relatively high.
Child ; Humans ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/adverse effects* ; Cohort Studies ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases/diagnosis* ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/drug therapy* ; Vincristine/adverse effects* ; Infant ; Child, Preschool ; Adolescent

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical characteristics and long-term prognosis of patients with primary bone lymphoma (PBL). METHODS: The clinical data of 21 patients with PBL treated in our center from 2005 to 2018 were analyzed retrospectively, the clinical characteristics and the factors affecting prognosis of the patients were analyzed. RESULTS: The median age of all the 21 newly diagnosed PBL patients was 40(12-71) years old. Ostealgia was the initial symptom in most of the patients (19/21,90.5%). 42.9%(9/21) of the patients showed single bone lesion only. 571% (12/21) of the patients showed diffuse large B cell lymphoma. 28.6% (6/21) of the patients showed anaplastic large cell lymphoma and 9.5% (2/21) of the patients showed T cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. All the patients received chemotherapy (CHOP or CHOP like regimen, 33.3% plus rituximab) with or without radiotherapy and/or autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT). 18 patients achieved clinical remission (including 15 for CR and 3 for PR). The median follow-up time was 48 months. The 5-year overall survival rate and progression-free survival rate of the patients were was 67.5% and 63.7%, respectively. The single factors analysis showed that ASCT was the important prognostic factor of PFS, while the single or multiple bone lesion was the factors affecting OS of the patients. There were no statistical differences with the effects of age, sex, stage, ECOG score, LDH level, B symptoms and radiotherapy for the prognosis of patients. CONCLUSION Diffuse large B cell lymphoma is the most common pathological type of PBL. Chemotherapy is the main treatment, which can be combined with radiotherapy and/or ASCT. The ASCT and the number of bone lesion are the factors for long time survival of the patients.
Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Cyclophosphamide ; Disease-Free Survival ; Doxorubicin ; Humans ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/drug therapy* ; Middle Aged ; Prednisone ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Rituximab/therapeutic use* ; Transplantation, Autologous ; Vincristine

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of hypoxia on the chemosensitivity of B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia （B-ALL） cells to Vincristine (VCR) and the mechanisms. METHODS: B-ALL cells SUP-B15, Nalm-6 and RS4;11 were selected as the research objects. The cells were divided into the control group and the hypoxia mimic group (CoCl₂ pretreatment). The two groups were treated with VCR at different concentrations for 24 hours, CCK-8 was used to detect cell viability, flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis, and Western bolt method was used to detect hypoxia inducible factor (HIF-1α), BAX, Bcl-2 and β-actin protein expression. Quantitative real-time fluorescent PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to detect BAX and β-actin mRNA levels. RESULTS: CoCl₂ could simulate hypoxic environment to induce the expression of HIF-1α. The cells SUP-B15 and RS4;11 of the hypoxia mimic group were lower sensitivity to VCR as compared with the control group; the apoptosis rate of the hypoxia mimic group was lower than that of the control group after 80 nmol/L VCR treatment. The expression levels of BAX protein and mRNA in the hypoxia mimic group were lower than those of the control group, and there was no significant difference in the expression levels of Bcl-2 protein between two groups. CONCLUSION Under hypoxic conditions, HIF-1α may mediate VCR resistance in B-ALL cells by downregulating the pro-apoptotic protein BAX.
Actins/pharmacology* ; Apoptosis ; Cell Hypoxia ; Humans ; Hypoxia ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; RNA, Messenger ; Vincristine/pharmacology* ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein/pharmacology*

Objective: We investigated the impact of MYC/BCL-2 protein co-expression on the prognosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients and observed whether double expression (DE) remains an independent poor prognostic factor in DLBCL after the addition of therapeutic factors such as DA-EPOCH-R, central prophylaxis, and transplantation. Methods: Available pathological findings were retrospectively collected from 223 DLBCL patients at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 2015 to 2018. Seventy-five patients with high MYC/BCL-2 expression were categorized as the DE group. From the 148 non-DE patients, 75 DLBCL patients were selected as the control group, using a 1∶1 matching on propensity scores for age, international prognostic index score, treatment choice, and etc. The differences in overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) between the two groups were compared. Results: The 3-year OS was (69.8±5.5) % for the DE group and (77.0±4.9) % for the non-DE group (P=0.225) , while the 3-year PFS was (60.7±5.8) % and (65.3±5.5) % , respectively (P=0.390) . Subgroup analysis in patients treated with the R-CHOP regimen revealed that for the DE and non-DE patients, the 3-year OS was (61.3±7.5) % and (77.2±5.6) % (P=0.027) , and the 3-year PFS was (52.1±7.5) % and (70.6±6.0) % (P=0.040) , respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that age, stage of Ann Arbor, COO staging, whether central prophylaxis was performed, and whether transplantation was performed were significant independent risk factors of the prognosis of DLBCL patients (P<0.05) . On the other hand, MYC/BCL-2 protein double expression was not significantly associated with prognostic outcomes. Conclusion: MYC/BCL-2 protein double expression was significantly associated with poor prognosis under R-CHOP regimen treatment, but the poor prognostic impact of DE on DLBCL was eliminated under intensive regimens such as DA-EPOCH-R and transplantation.
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Doxorubicin/therapeutic use* ; Humans ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/drug therapy* ; Prognosis ; Propensity Score ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc ; Retrospective Studies ; Rituximab/therapeutic use* ; Vincristine/therapeutic use*

Objective: This study aimed to look into the clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) -associated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) . Methods: Retrospective review of the clinical data of 63 HIV-infected patients with DLBCL diagnosed at Chongqing University Cancer Hospital between July 2008 and August 2021. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate survival curves, and the log-rank test method was used to compare survival between groups. The Cox proportional hazards model was used for multivariate analysis. Results: In 63 patients with HIV-associated DLBCL, 57 (90.5% ) were men, and the median age was 49 (23-87) years. The most common pathological subtype was the germinal center B-cell-like lymphoma (74.6% ) ; 46.0% (29/63) were combined with extranodal lesions. Seventeen of 63 (27.0% ) patients had large masses (≥7.5 cm) . Twenty of 63 (31.7% ) patients had B symptoms. The median CD4(+) T cell count was 203 (4-1022) ×10(6)/L. A total of 49% (25/51) patients had CD4(+) cell count <200×10(6)/L, 56.9% (33/58) had high (3-5) International Prognostic Index (IPI) scores, and 43.1% (25/58) had low (0-2) IPI scores. Further, 78% (46/59) were diagnosed with Ann Arbor Stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ, and 25.4% (16/63) didn't receive chemotherapy. A total of 22.2% (14/63) of patients received less than four cycles of chemotherapy, and 52.4% (33/63) received four or more cycles of chemotherapy. Among patients undergoing chemotherapy, 61.7% (29/47) received R-CHOP-like regimens, and 38.3% (18/47) used CHOP-like regimens. The 1-, 2-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 65.0% , 53.8% , 47.1% , and 43.5% , respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that age ≥ 60 years (P=0.012) , Eastern Cooperative Oncology Gruop Performance Status (ECOG-PS) score 2-4 points (P=0.043) , IPI score 3-5 points (P=0.001) , β(2)-MG elevation (≥5.5 mg/L) (P=0.007) , and systemic chemotherapy cycles less than four times (P<0.001) were the negative prognostic factors affecting the OS of patients. The Cox multivariate analysis depicted that age ≥60 years (HR=2.272, 95% CI 1.110-4.651, P=0.025) , IPI score 3-5 points (HR=3.562, 95% CI 1.794-7.074, P<0.001) , ECOG-PS score 2-4 points (HR=2.675, 95% CI 1.162-6.153, P=0.021) , and number of cycles of chemotherapy<4 (HR=0.290, 95% CI 0.176-0.479, P<0.001) were independent risk factors for adverse prognosis of OS. Conclusion: HIV-associated DLBCL is the most common HIV-related tumor, is most commonly seen in men, and has a high 1-year mortality rate. Chemotherapy combined with antiretroviral therapy can improve patient prognosis.
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Cyclophosphamide/therapeutic use* ; Doxorubicin/therapeutic use* ; HIV Infections ; Humans ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/drug therapy* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prednisone/therapeutic use* ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Rituximab/therapeutic use* ; Survival Rate ; Vincristine/therapeutic use*

OBJECTIVE: To analyze clinical response of the Rituximab-based chemotherapy and prognostic features in patients with primary gastric diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (PGDLBCL). METHODS: From June 2008 to December 2020, the data of 53 PGDLBCL patients were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: The median age was 46(25-77) years old in 53 patients including 35 males and 18 females. Stomachache is the most common symptom. The diagnosis were confirmed in 47 patients by endoscopic biopsy and 6 patients by surgery. Twenty-six patients had Ⅰ/Ⅱ1 stage (Lugano staging system) disease and 27 cases had II2/IV stage disease. All patients were treated with chemotherapy, including RCHOP (25/53) and R-DA-EPOCH (28/53). Complete remission rate was 79.2%（42/53）. The 3-year and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 77.4% and 69.8%. Univariate analysis showed that lactate dehydrogenase(LDH), Lugano stage and lesion size affected OS. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that IPI score and Lugano stage were independent prognosis risk factors affecting OS. The patients in the R-DA-EPOCH group presented better survival outcomes than those in the RCHOP group with late stage (P_5-year OS=0.035). CONCLUSION Rituximab in combination with chemotherapy is the backbone of therapy for PGDLBCL. IPI score and Lugano stage are independent prognosis risk factors affecting OS of PGDLBCL. R-DA-EPOCH can be superior to R-CHOP as a first-line regimen in PGDLBCL patients with late stage.
Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Cyclophosphamide/therapeutic use* ; Disease-Free Survival ; Doxorubicin/therapeutic use* ; Female ; Humans ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/pathology* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prednisone/therapeutic use* ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Rituximab/therapeutic use* ; Vincristine/therapeutic use*

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between serum miR-34a level and thrombocytopenia after chemotherapy in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). METHODS: A total of 69 eligible DLBCL patients who received chemotherapy in our hospital from January 2018 to January 2020 were prospectively included as the research subjects, all patients received R-CHOP 21 regimen (rituximab + cyclophosphamide + adriamycin + vincristine + prednisone) for chemotherapy, 3 weeks was 1 cycle, and 2 cycles of chemotherapy were used. The patients were divided into a reduction group and a non reduction group according to whether there was thrombocytopenia after chemotherapy, the general data and laboratory indexes of the two groups were investigated and compared, the relationship between serum miR-34a before chemotherapy and thrombocytopenia after chemotherapy in patients was analyzed. RESULTS: Among the 69 DLBCL patients, 36 patients developed thrombocytopenia after 2 cycles of R-CHOP 21 regimen for chemotherapy, the incidence was 52.17%; the level of serum IL-11 and the relative expression of miR-34a mRNA in the reduction group were significantly lower than the non reduction group (P<0.05), compared other data between groups, there was no statistical significant difference (P>0.05); after Logistic regression analysis, the results showed that the level of serum IL-11 and the relative expression of miR-34a mRNA were related to thrombocytopenia after chemotherapy in DLBCL patients, low expression of each index may be a risk factor of thrombocytopenia after chemotherapy in DLBCL patients (OR>1, P<0.05); ROC curve was drawn, and the results showed that the AUC of serum IL-11 level and miR-34a mRNA relative expression before chemotherapy alone and in combination predicted the risk of thrombocytopenia after chemotherapy in DLBCL patients were all >0.80, and the predictive value was ideal, when the cut-off value of serum IL-11 level before chemotherapy was 42.094 pg/ml, and the cut-off value of miR-34a mRNA relative expression was 3.894, the combined prediction value was the best. CONCLUSION The relative expression of miR-34a mRNA is associated with thrombocytopenia after chemotherapy in DLBCL patients, which may be a risk factor for thrombocytopenia in patients after chemotherapy, has certain value in predicting the risk of thrombocytopenia of patients after chemotherapy.
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Cyclophosphamide ; Doxorubicin ; Humans ; Interleukin-11/therapeutic use* ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/genetics* ; MicroRNAs/genetics* ; Prednisone/therapeutic use* ; Prognosis ; RNA, Messenger ; Rituximab/therapeutic use* ; Thrombocytopenia ; Vincristine