Survivin expression in patients with newly diagnosed nodal diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL)

Overexpression of MRP1/ABCC1, Survivin and BCRP/ABCC2 Predicts the Resistance of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma to R-CHOP Treatment

BACKGROUND

Approximately 40% of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) experience treatment resistance to the first-line R-CHOP regimen. ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters and survivin might play a role in multidrug resistance (MDR) in various tumors. The aim was to investigate if the coexpression of ABC transporters and survivin was associated with R-CHOP treatment response.

METHODS

The expression of Bcl-2, survivin, P-glycoprotein/ABCB1, MRP1/ABCC1, and BCRP/ABCC2 was analyzed using immunohistochemistry in tumor specimens obtained from patients with DLBCL, and classified according to the treatment response as Remission, Relapsed, and (primary) Refractory groups. All patients received R-CHOP or equivalent treatment.

RESULTS

Bcl-2 was in strong positive correlation with clinical parameters and all biomarkers except P-gp/ABCB1. The overexpression of MRP1/ABCC1, survivin, and BCRP/ABCC2 presented as high immunoreactive scores (IRSs) was detected in the Refractory and Relapsed groups (p < 0.05 vs. Remission), respectively, whereas the IRS of P-gp/ABCB1 was low. Significant correlations were found among either MRP1/ABCC1 and survivin or BCRP/ABCC2 in the Refractory and Relapsed groups, respectively. In multiple linear regression analysis, ECOG status along with MRP1/ABCC1 or survivin and BRCP/ABCG2 was significantly associated with the prediction of the R-CHOP treatment response.

CONCLUSIONS

DLBCL might harbor certain molecular signatures such as MRP1/ABCC1, survivin, and BCRP/ABCC2 overexpression that can predict resistance to R-CHOP.

5-Hydroxymethylcytosine profiles of cfDNA are highly predictive of R-CHOP treatment response in diffuse large B cell lymphoma patients

Background

Although R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) remains the standard chemotherapy regimen for diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients, not all patients are responsive to the scheme, and there is no effective method to predict treatment response.

Methods

We utilized 5hmC-Seal to generate genome-wide 5hmC profiles in plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from 86 DLBCL patients before they received R-CHOP chemotherapy. To investigate the correlation between 5hmC modifications and curative effectiveness, we separated patients into training (n = 56) and validation (n = 30) cohorts and developed a 5hmC-based logistic regression model from the training cohort to predict the treatment response in the validation cohort.

Results

In this study, we identified thirteen 5hmC markers associated with treatment response. The prediction performance of the logistic regression model, achieving 0.82 sensitivity and 0.75 specificity (AUC = 0.78), was superior to existing clinical indicators, such as LDH and stage.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that the 5hmC modifications in cfDNA at the time before R-CHOP treatment are associated with treatment response and that 5hmC-Seal may potentially serve as a clinical-applicable, minimally invasive approach to predict R-CHOP treatment response for DLBCL patients.

Prognostic efficacy of the human B-cell lymphoma prognostic genes in predicting disease-free survival (DFS) in the canine counterpart

Background

Canine B-cell lymphoma is deemed an ideal model of human non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma where the lymphomas of both species share similar clinical features and biological behaviors. However there are some differences between tumor features in both species. In the current study, we sought to evaluate the prognostic efficacy of human B-cell lymphoma prognostic gene signatures in canine B-cell lymphoma.

Methods

The corresponding probe sets of 36 human B-cell lymphoma prognostic genes were retrieved from 2 canine B-cell lymphoma microarray datasets (GSE43664 and GSE39365) (76 samples), and prognostic probe sets were thereafter detected using the univariate and multivariate Cox proportional-hazard model and the Kaplan–Meier analysis. The two datasets were employed both as training sets and as external validation sets for each other. Results were confirmed using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis.

Results

In the univariate analysis, CCND1, CCND2, PAX5, CR2, LMO2, HLA-DQA1, P53, CD38, MYC-N, MYBL1, and BIRCS5 were associated with longer disease-free survival (DFS), while CD44, PLAU, and FN1 were allied to shorter DFS. However, the multivariate Cox proportional-hazard analysis confirmed CCND1 and BIRCS5 as prognostic genes for canine B-cell lymphoma. qRT-PCR used for verification of results indicated that expression level of CCND1 was significantly higher in B-cell lymphoma patients with the long DFS than ones with the short DFS, while expression level of BIRCS5 wasn’t significantly different between two groups.

Conclusion

Our results confirmed CCND1 as important gene that can be used as a potential predictor in this tumor type.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12917-016-0919-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: R-CHOP failure-what to do?

Although rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) is the standard treatment for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), ∼30% to 50% of patients are not cured by this treatment, depending on disease stage or prognostic index. Among patients for whom R-CHOP therapy fails, 20% suffer from primary refractory disease (progress during or right after treatment) whereas 30% relapse after achieving complete remission (CR). Currently, there is no good definition enabling us to identify these 2 groups upon diagnosis. Most of the refractory patients exhibit double-hit lymphoma (MYC-BCL2 rearrangement) or double-protein-expression lymphoma (MYC-BCL2 hyperexpression) which have a more aggressive clinical picture. New strategies are currently being explored to obtain better CR rates and fewer relapses. Although young relapsing patients are treated with high-dose therapy followed by autologous transplant, there is an unmet need for better salvage regimens in this setting. To prevent relapse, maintenance therapy with immunomodulatory agents such as lenalidomide is currently undergoing investigation. New drugs will most likely be introduced over the next few years and will probably be different for relapsing and refractory patients.

Mangiferin enhances the sensitivity of human multiple myeloma cells to anticancer drugs through suppression of the nuclear factor κB pathway

Multiple myeloma (MM) is still an incurable hematological malignancy with a 5-year survival rate of ~35%, despite the use of various treatment options. The nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) pathway plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of MM. Thus, inhibition of the NF-κB pathway is a potential target for the treatment of MM. In a previous study, we showed that mangiferin suppressed the nuclear translocation of NF-κB. However, the treatment of MM involves a combination of two or three drugs. In this study, we examined the effect of the combination of mangiferin and conventional anticancer drugs in an MM cell line. We showed that the combination of mangiferin and an anticancer drug decreased the viability of MM cell lines in comparison with each drug used separately. The decrease in the combination of mangiferin and an anticancer drug induced cell viability was attributed to increase the expression of p53 and Noxa and decreases the expression of XIAP, survivin, and Bcl-xL proteins via inhibition of NF-κB pathway. In addition, the combination treatment caused the induction of apoptosis, activation of caspase-3 and the accumulation of the cells in the sub-G1 phase of the cell cycle. Our findings suggest that the combination of mangiferin and an anticancer drug could be used as a new regime for the treatment of MM.

Prognostic and biological significance of survivin expression in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated with rituximab-CHOP therapy

Survivin, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein family, is overexpressed in a variety of human neoplasms. The prognostic significance of survivin expression in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients treated with rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (R-CHOP) is unclear. We used standard immunohistochemistry methods to quantify survivin expression in 463 patients with de novo diffuse large B-cell lymphoma who received the R-CHOP. Of the 463 patients, 269 (58%) had survivin overexpression with a cutoff of >25%, associated with an International Prognostic Index score of >2 (P=0.015), disease in ≥2 extranodal sites (P=0.011), and a high Ki-67 index (P<0.0001). Among patients with activated B cell-like disease, the overall survival rate of survivin-positive patients was significantly lower than that of survivin-negative patients (P=0.033); multivariate analysis confirmed that in these patients, survivin overexpression was an independent prognostic factor for survival. Among patients with wild-type p53 overexpression, the overall survival and progression-free survival rates of the survivin-positive group were significantly lower than those of the survivin-negative group (P=0.035 and P=0.04 respectively). In STAT3-positive patients, survivin overexpression was associated with significantly better survival. Among patients with activated B cell-like disease, survivin-positive compared with survivin-negative groups had significantly different gene expression signatures, including genes involved in mitosis or tumor cell proliferation. Our results indicate that survivin is an independent prognostic factor for poor outcome in patients with activated B cell-like disease treated with the R-CHOP regimen, and patients with survivin-positive activated B cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma seem to benefit less from this treatment and may require additional novel agents.

Prognostic and Clinicopathological Value of Survivin in Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma: A Meta-Analysis

Up to date, survivin, a well-known inhibitor of apoptosis, has attracted considerable attention as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Nevertheless, there still remains no consensus on heterogeneous results. Herein, a meta-analysis was performed to clarify a convincing significance of survivin status on prognosis and clinicopathology of DLBCL patients.Eligible studies were identified by searching Medline, Embase, Scopus, CNKI, and Wanfang databases (last updated on November 30, 2014). Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Heterogeneity and sensitivity were also analyzed. Moreover, Begg, Egger test, and funnel plots were applied to evaluate the publication bias.We finally included 17 eligible studies with the total number of 1352 patients in the meta-analysis. The pooled results showed that positive survivin expression in DLBCL was associated with inferior overall survival (OS) (HR: 1.880, 95% CI: 1.550-2.270) in patients. Moreover, a significant association was revealed between survivin expression and advanced clinical stage (III + IV) (OR: 0.611, 95% CI: 0.452-0.827), higher International Prognosis Index (IPI) score (Score 3-5) (OR: 0.559; 95% CI: 0.410-0.761), elevated serum lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) (OR: 0.607, 95% CI: 0.444-0.831), presence of bone marrow involvement (OR: 2.127, 95% CI: 1.154-3.921) together with reduced complete remission (CR) rate (OR: 0.478, 95% CI: 0.345-0.662).The results suggest that survivin could be a useful prognostic biomarker, and a promising target for DLBCL therapeutic intervention. Considering limited HR data adjusted for standard prognostic variables could be retrieved, future high-quality studies will be needed in evaluating the independent prognostic value of survivin expression in DLBCL.

Survivin as prognostic and predictive factor in patients treated with gemcitabine, dexamethasone, and cisplatin for relapsed or refractory aggressive NHL

The prognosis of relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) after front-line therapy remains poor. The development of more effective and less toxic salvage regimens remains a major challenge. Survivin is a member of the family of inhibitors of apoptosis, and survivin was associated with short survival and bad prognosis. This study was to evaluate the efficacy of GDP regimen (gemcitabine, dexamethasone and cisplatin) on relapsed or refractory aggressive NHL and various prognostic factors with special emphasis on survivin and observe the . Forty-six patients with relapsed and refractory NHL, intermediate or high-grade NHL (Revised European American Lymphoma Classification), who at least one regimen were enrolled into this study, which was carried out at Department, , Tanta University from July 2012 to July 2014. The patients were treated with GDP regimen (gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m(2) on days one and eight, dexamethasone 40 mg on days 1-3, and cisplatin 25 mg/m(2) on days 1-3) every 3 weeks. The efficacy and adverse events were evaluated according to the WHO criteria. All patients were assessed for efficacy and toxicity. The overall response rate was 58.7 %. Fourteen patients showed a complete response, thirteen partial responses, twelve stable diseases, and seven progressive disease. The 24-month overall survival was 50.8 %. Survivin is associated with low overall response and shorter overall survival. Grade 3 anemia was observed in four patients, grade 3 leucopenia in six patients, grade 3 neutropenia in six patients, and grade 3 thrombocytopenia in four patients. Non-hematologic toxicity included grade 3 infection in four patients. The present schedule of GDP showed modest efficacy and mild toxicity in patients with relapsed or refractory aggressive NHL.

Bortezomib-based chemotherapy regimens can improve response in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients with bcl-2 and survivin overexpression

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship between the Bcl-2 and survivin expression and the different regimens therapeutic efficacy newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM).

METHODS

We retrospectively assessed the association of Bcl-2 and survivin expression with chemotherapeutic efficacy and prognosis in 59 NDMM patients in a single center.

RESULTS

The positive expression rate for survivin and Bcl-2 was 35% and 74%, respectively. Survivin and Bcl-2 protein expression were not associated with clinical stage, suggesting that they are not related to tumor burden in NDMM. Bortezomib-based regimens were more effective in reducing tumor burden and achieving therapeutic (complete and partial) response compared with non-bortezomib-based regimens irrespective of Bcl-2 or survivin expression (P < 0.05). In cases with both negative Bcl-2 and survivin expression (Bcl-2(-)survivin(-)), the response to bortezomib and non-bortezomib-based regimens was similar (p = 0.429). Bcl-2 and survivin expression were not correlated with overall survival (OS); however, Bcl-2-survivin- cases showed a trend towards a longer OS (P = 0.078).

CONCLUSION

We recommend bortezomib-containing regimens for NDMM with single or double-positive Bcl-2 and survivin expression.

Assessing DcR3 expression in relation to survivin and other prognostic factors in B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

The soluble decoy receptor 3 (DcR3) is a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily whose overexpression has been observed in several human malignancies. Survivin is one of the inhibitors of apoptosis proteins that are thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis of malignancies. We aimed to evaluate the expression of DcR3 in relation to survivin in B cell non-Hodgkin`s lymphoma (NHL) and then we focused on patients with diffuse large B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (DLBCL) (50 cases) and correlated DcR3 expression with survivin expression and other prognostic parameters. Fifteen subjects with reactive lymphoid hyperplasia were included as controls. The expression of DcR3 and survivin were analyzed by immunohistochemistry on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded lymph node sections from 80 cases of B cell NHL and 15 controls. Bone marrow biopsy sections of patients were also immunostained with the previous markers.

RESULTS

DcR3 expression was found in 32.5% of B cell NHL patients versus 6.7% of controls (p <0.001) and was associated with the aggressive/highly aggressive subtypes. DcR3 was strongly expressed in 30% of DLBCL patients, where it was associated with survivin expression, high international prognostic index (IPI), the presence of extra nodal disease, ECOG performance status >1, reduced remission rates and shorter event-free survival. The expression of survivin was 40% in B cell NHL patients versus 13.3% in the control group (p <0.001). The expression of survivin in aggressive/highly aggressive B cell NHL was significantly higher than that in indolent B cell NHL. Survivin expression has been detected in 44% of the DLBCL patients and was associated with their clinical stage and shorter event-free survival (p = 0.026). Bone marrow biopsy sections from DLBCL patients showed significant DcR3 and survivin over expressions in sections with infiltration by lymphoma cells than sections with no infiltration.

CONCLUSION

DcR3 expression was associated with other prognostic factors including survivin, reduced remission rates, and shorter event-free survival. Survivin is closely related to aggressive/highly aggressive subtypes of B cell NHL and is associated with shorter event-free survival. Both DcR3 and survivin expressions on bone marrow sections can be of help in diagnosing bone marrow infiltration.