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Marchand T, Lamy T. The complex relationship between large granular lymphocyte leukemia and rheumatic disease. Expert Rev Clin Immunol 2024; 20:291-303. [PMID: 38105745 DOI: 10.1080/1744666x.2023.2292758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Large granular lymphocytic (LGL) leukemia is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder characterized by an expansion of clonal T or NK lymphocytes. Neutropenia-related infections represent the main clinical manifestation. Even if the disease follows an indolent course, most patients will ultimately need treatment in their lifetime. Interestingly, LGL leukemia is characterized by a high frequency of autoimmune disorders with rheumatoid arthritis being the most frequent. AREAS COVERED This review covers the pathophysiology, clinic-biological features and the advances made in the treatment of LGL leukemia. A special focus will be made on the similarities in the pathophysiology of LGL leukemia and the frequently associated rheumatic disorders. EXPERT OPINION Recent advances in the phenotypic and molecular characterization of LGL clones have uncovered the key role of JAK-STAT signaling in the pathophysiology linking leukemic cells expansion and autoimmunity. The description of the molecular landscape of T- and NK-LGL leukemia and the improved understanding of the associated rheumatic disorders open the way to the development of new targeted therapies effective on both conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tony Marchand
- Service d'Hématologie Clinique, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Rennes, Rennes, France
- Université Rennes 1, Rennes, France
- UMR 1236, Université Rennes, INSERM, Etablissement Français du Sang Bretagne, Rennes, France
| | - Thierry Lamy
- Service d'Hématologie Clinique, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Rennes, Rennes, France
- Université Rennes 1, Rennes, France
- UMR 1236, Université Rennes, INSERM, Etablissement Français du Sang Bretagne, Rennes, France
- CIC 1414, Rennes, France
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Ingelfinger F, Kramer M, Lutz M, Widmer CC, Piccoli L, Kreutmair S, Wertheimer T, Woodhall M, Waters P, Sallusto F, Lanzavecchia A, Mundt S, Becher B, Schreiner B. Antibodies Produced by CLL Phenotype B Cells in Patients With Myasthenia Gravis Are Not Directed Against Neuromuscular Endplates. NEUROLOGY(R) NEUROIMMUNOLOGY & NEUROINFLAMMATION 2023; 10:10/2/e200087. [PMID: 36754834 PMCID: PMC9909583 DOI: 10.1212/nxi.0000000000200087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Myasthenia gravis (MG) can in rare cases be an autoimmune phenomenon associated with hematologic malignancies such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). It is unclear whether in patients with MG and CLL, the leukemic B cells are the ones directly driving the autoimmune response against neuromuscular endplates. METHODS We identified patients with acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive (AChR+) MG and CLL or monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL), a precursor to CLL, and described their clinical features, including treatment responses. We generated recombinant monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) corresponding to the B-cell receptors of the CLL phenotype B cells and screened them for autoantigen binding. RESULTS A computational immune cell screen revealed a subgroup of 5/38 patients with MG and 0/21 healthy controls who displayed a CLL-like B-cell phenotype. In follow-up hematologic flow cytometry, 2 of these 5 patients were diagnosed with an MBL. An additional patient with AChR+ MG as a complication of manifest CLL presented at our neuromuscular clinic and was successfully treated with the anti-CD20 therapy obinutuzumab plus chlorambucil. We investigated the specificities of expanding CLL-like B-cell clones to assess a direct causal link between the 2 diseases. However, we observed no reactivity of the clones against the AChR, antigens at the neuromuscular junction, or other common autoantigens. DISCUSSION Our study suggests that AChR autoantibodies are produced by nonmalignant, polyclonal B cells The new anti-CD20 treatment obinutuzumab might be considered in effectively treating AChR+ MG. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE This is a single case study and provides Class IV evidence that obinutuzumab is safe to use in patients with MG.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Burkhard Becher
- From the Institute of Experimental Immunology (F.I., M.L., S.K., T.W., S.M., B.S., B.B.), University of Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Neurology (F.I., B.S.), University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland; Institute for Research in Biomedicine (M.K., L.P., F.S., A.L.), Università Della Svizzera Italiana, Bellinzona, Switzerland; Institute of Microbiology (M.K., F.S.), ETH Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology (C.C.W.), University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Switzerland; and Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (M.W., P.W.), University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
| | - Bettina Schreiner
- From the Institute of Experimental Immunology (F.I., M.L., S.K., T.W., S.M., B.S., B.B.), University of Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Neurology (F.I., B.S.), University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland; Institute for Research in Biomedicine (M.K., L.P., F.S., A.L.), Università Della Svizzera Italiana, Bellinzona, Switzerland; Institute of Microbiology (M.K., F.S.), ETH Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology (C.C.W.), University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Switzerland; and Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (M.W., P.W.), University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
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