Low absolute peripheral blood CD4+ T-cell count predicts poor prognosis in R-CHOP-treated patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Immunotyping of peripheral blood lymphocytes by flow cytometry reveals Th cell as a potential prognostic biomarker for extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma

This study aimed to explore the distribution, characteristics and prognostic value of baseline peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets in patients with extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL). We conducted this cross-sectional study of 205 newly-diagnosed NKTCL patients receiving first-line chemotherapy and radiation at our institute between 2010 and 2020. Baseline peripheral blood lymphocytes were detected using flow cytometry, and the clinical value was analyzed. Compared with healthy controls, patients with NKTCL presented with a distinct peripheral immunity with higher levels of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells (33.230 ± 12.090% vs. 27.060 ± 4.010%, p < 0.001) and NKT cells (7.697 ± 7.219% vs. 3.550 ± 2.088%, p < 0.001) but lower proportions of suppressive regulatory T cells (Treg, 2.999 ± 1.949% vs. 3.420 ± 1.051%, p = 0.003) and CD4+ helper T cells (Th, 33.084 ± 11.361% vs. 37.650 ± 3.153%, p < 0.001). Peripheral lymphocytes were differentially distributed according to age, stage, and primary site in patients with NKTCL. The proportion of Th cells/lymphocytes was associated with tumor burden reflected by stage (p = 0.037), serum lactate dehydrogenase (p = 0.0420), primary tumor invasion (p = 0.025), and prognostic index for NK/T-cell lymphoma (PINK) score (p = 0.041). Furthermore, elevated proportions of T cells (58.9% vs. 76.4%, p = 0.005), Th cells (56.3% vs. 68.8%, p = 0.047), or Treg cells (49.5% vs. 68.9%, p = 0.040) were associated with inferior 5-year progression-free survivals (PFS) via univariable survival analysis. Multivariate cox regression revealed elevated Th cells as an independent predictor for unfavorable PFS (HR = 2.333, 95% CI, 1.030-5.288, p = 0.042) in NKTCL. These results suggested the proportion of Th cells positively correlated with tumor burden and was a potential non-invasive biomarker for inferior survival for patients with NKTCL.

Prediction significance of autophagy-related genes in survival probability and drug resistance in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, has significant prognostic heterogeneity. This study aimed to generate a prognostic prediction model based on autophagy-related genes for DLBCL patients.

METHODS

Utilizing bioinformatics techniques, we analyzed the clinical information and transcriptome data of DLBCL patients from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Through unsupervised clustering, we identified new autophagy-related molecular subtypes and pinpointed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between these subtypes. Based on these DEGs, a prognostic model was constructed using Cox and Lasso regression. The effectiveness, accuracy, and clinical utility of this prognostic model were assessed using numerous independent validation cohorts, survival analyses, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, multivariate Cox regression analysis, nomograms, and calibration curves. Moreover, functional analysis, immune cell infiltration, and drug sensitivity analysis were performed.

RESULTS

DLBCL patients with different clinical characterizations (age, molecular subtypes, ECOG scores, and stages) showed different expression features of autophagy-related genes. The prediction model was constructed based on the eight autophagy-related genes (ADD3, IGFBP3, TPM1, LYZ, AFDN, DNAJC10, GLIS3, and CCDC102A). The prognostic nomogram for overall survival of DLBCL patients incorporated risk level, stage, ECOG scores, and molecular subtypes, showing excellent agreement between observed and predicted outcomes. Differences were noted in the proportions of immune cells (native B cells, Treg cells, CD8+ T cell, CD4+ memory activated T cells, gamma delta T cells, macrophages M1, and resting mast cells) between high-risk and low-risk groups. LYZ and ADD3 exhibited correlations with drug resistance to most chemotherapeutic drugs.

CONCLUSIONS

This study established a novel prognostic assessment model based on the expression profile of autophagy-related genes and clinical characteristics of DLBCL patients, explored immune infiltration and predicted drug resistance, which may guide precise and individualized immunochemotherapy regimens.

Prognostic impact of absolute peripheral blood NK cell count after four cycles of R-CHOP-like regimen treatment in patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma

As a subtype of lymphocyte, natural killer (NK) cell is the first line of defense that shows a strong function in tumor immunotherapy response and clinical outcomes. The current study aims to investigate the prognostic influence of peripheral blood absolute NK cell count after four cycles of rituximab combined with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (R-CHOP) treatment (NKCC4) in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. A total of 261 DLBCL patients treated with R-CHOP from January 2018 to September 2022 were enrolled. The low NKCC4 was observed in patients who died during the study period compared with survival individuals. A NKCC4 < 135 cells/μl had a remarkable negative influence in overall survival and progression-free survival (PFS) compared to a NKCC4 ≥ 135 cells/μl (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.0004, respectively). In addition, the OS and PFS were synergistically lower in a NKCC4 < 135 cells/μl group among DLBCL patients with GCB type or high IPI. In conclusion, this study indicates NCKK4 as a valuable marker in clinical practice and provides an insight for combination treatment of R-CHOP to improve outcomes of DLBCL patients.

Expression and Clinical Significance of Th1/Th2/Th17 Cytokines and Lymphocyte Subsets in PCNSL

Purpose

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) responds favorably to radiation, chemotherapy and targeted drug therapy. However survival is usually worse, the treatment-related drug resistance and recurrence are still clinical problems to be solved urgently. Studies have shown that cytokines are expressed in varying degrees in patients with lymphoma, which is significantly related to the progression, poor prognosis and drug resistance of lymphoma. We explore the expression and clinical significance of Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines and lymphocyte subsets in patients with PCNSL to provide a more sufficient theoretical basis for its diagnosis and treatment.

Patients and Methods

We measured and analysed the levels of Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines and the distribution of lymphocyte subsets (including Treg cells, CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD19+, and CD4+/CD8+) in 39 patients with PCNSL and 96 patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) without central nervous system involvement. The cytokines of 13 healthy people and the lymphocyte subsets of 27 healthy people were measured as the control group.

Results

We found a significant difference in the level of Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines and lymphocyte subsets between PCNSL and healthy controls, especially IL-2, after treatment, which was significantly higher than before treatment (p<0.01). However, the level of CD19+ and CD4+/CD8+ decreased while CD8+ and CD3+ increased after treatment (regardless of whether the treatment was effective), and the difference was statistically significant. In addition, our analysis of different prognostic factors found that HD-MTX-based chemotherapy appears to have a longer progression-free survival and overall survival than osimertinib-based chemotherapy.

Conclusion

There are significant differences in Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines and lymphocyte subsets among PCNSL, DLBCL, and healthy controls, and their detection is helpful for the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of PCNSL. HD-MTX-based chemotherapy may still be the first choice for PCNSL.

Identification of FCER1G related to Activated Memory CD4+ T Cells Infiltration by Gene Co-expression Network and Construction of a Risk Prediction Module in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a group of biologically heterogeneous tumors with different prognoses. The tumor microenvironment plays a vital role in the tumorigenesis and development of DLBCL, and activated memory CD4⁺ T cells are an essential component of immunological cells in the lymphoma microenvironment. So far, there are few reports about activated memory CD4+T cells infiltration and related genes in the DLBCL tumor microenvironment. This study obtained the mRNA expression profile information of the testing GSE87371 dataset and another six validation datasets (GSE53786, GSE181063, GSE10846, GSE32918, GSE32018, GSE9327, GSE3892, TCGA-DLBC) from the GEO and TCGA databases. Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) screened gene module associated with activated memory CD4⁺ T cells infiltration. CIBERSORT and TIMER (immune cells infiltrating estimation analysis tools) were used to identify the relationship between activated memory CD4⁺ T cells and genes associated with immune infiltrating cells in the tumor microenvironment. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) built the risk prediction model and verified it using nomogram and Kaplan-Meier analysis. Further functional characterization includes Gene Ontology, KEGG pathway analysis and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) to investigate the role and underlying mechanisms of these genes. These results suggest that the expression of FCER1G can reflect the invasion of activated memory CD4⁺ T cells in DLBCL, which provides a new idea for studying the tumor microenvironment and may become a potential predictive biomarker for the assessment of DLBCL.

Impact of Qi-Invigorating Traditional Chinese Medicines on Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma Based on Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation

Background: It has been verified that deficiency of Qi, a fundamental substance supporting daily activities according to the Traditional Chinese Medicine theory, is an important symptom of cancer. Qi-invigorating herbs can inhibit cancer development through promoting apoptosis and improving cancer microenvironment. In this study, we explored the potential mechanisms of Qi-invigorating herbs in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) through network pharmacology and in vitro experiment. Methods: Active ingredients of Qi-invigorating herbs were predicted from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database. Potential targets were obtained via the SwissTargetPrediction and STITCH databases. Target genes of DLBCL were obtained through the PubMed, the gene-disease associations and the Malacards databases. Overlapping genes between DLBCL and each Qi-invigorating herb were collected. Hub genes were subsequently screened via Cytoscape. The Gene Ontology and pathway enrichment analyses were performed using the DAVID database. Molecular docking was performed among active ingredients and hub genes. Hub genes linked with survival and tumor microenvironment were analyzed through the GEPIA 2.0 and TIMER 2.0 databases, respectively. Additionally, in vitro experiment was performed to verify the roles of common hub genes. Results: Through data mining, 14, 4, 22, 22, 35, 2, 36 genes were filtered as targets of Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Panacis Quinquefolii Radix, Codonopsis Radix, Pseudostellariae Radix, Astragali Radix, Dioscoreae Rhizoma, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma for DLBCL treatment, respectively. Then besides Panacis Quinquefolii Radix and Dioscoreae Rhizoma, 1,14, 10, 14,13 hub genes were selected, respectively. Molecular docking studies indicated that active ingredients could stably bind to the pockets of hub proteins. CASP3, CDK1, AKT1 and MAPK3 were predicted as common hub genes. However, through experimental verification, only CASP3 was considered as the common target of Qi-invigorating herbs on DLBCL apoptosis. Furthermore, the TIMER2.0 database showed that Qi-invigorating herbs might act on DLBCL microenvironment through their target genes. Tumor-associated neutrophils may be main target cells of DLBCL treated by Qi-invigorating herbs. Conclusion: Our results support the effects of Qi-invigorating herbs on DLBCL. Hub genes and immune infiltrating cells provided the molecular basis for each Qi-invigorating herb acting on DLBCL.

Dynamic changes in peripheral blood lymphocyte subset counts and functions in patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma during chemotherapy

Background

This study aimed to analyze the lymphocyte subsets, their activities and their dynamic changes during immunochemotherapy in patients newly diagnosed with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Methods

Patients with DLBCL (n = 33) were included in the present study. Their peripheral lymphocyte subsets, phenotypes and functions were detected using flow cytometry. The dynamic results of lymphocyte activities were available for 18 patients.

Results

Compared with healthy controls (HCs), the counts of CD3⁺, CD4⁺, and CD8⁺ T cells as well as those NK cells decreased in patients newly diagnosed with DLBCL, mainly attributed to patients with high risk of prognosis assessed by International Prognostic Index (IPI) score. Lymphocyte counts didn’t present significant difference between high risk (IPI scores 3–5) and low risk patients (IPI scores 0–2), but CD4⁺ T cells and CD8⁺ T cells expressed higher levels of CD28 and HLA-DR, respectively, in patients with IPI score ranging from 3 to 5. Patients at high risk harbored higher percentage of regulatory T cells (Tregs), and their CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells produced lower levels of IFN-γ, reflecting an impaired cellular immune response. The dynamic changes of lymphocyte numbers and functions during treatment were further investigated. Total counts of CD3⁺, CD4⁺, CD8⁺ T and NK cells progressively decreased because of the cytotoxicity of chemotherapy and then gradually recovered after six cycles treatment (rituximab combined with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone, R-CHOP). The functions of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells recovered by the end of two cycles R-CHOP treatment, although NK cell function was not significantly affected throughout treatment. These results suggest that the counts and functions of lymphocytes are significantly decreased in patients with DLBCL, particularly those of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells.

Conclusions

The absolute counts and functions of CD4⁺, CD8⁺ T cells, which were significantly lower in patients with DLBCL, gradually recovered after effective treatment. Therefore, combined detection of T cell counts and functions are critically important for administering effective personalized immunotherapy as well as for identifying new prognostic markers or DLBCL.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-021-01978-w.

Prognostic Significance of Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index in Patients With Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Objective

The systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) based on neutrophil, platelet and lymphocyte counts, is a prognostic biomarker in some solid cancers. However, the prognostic value of SII has not yet been validated. This study was to evaluate the role of SII in predicting survival for patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Methods

We retrospectively investigated 224 patients with DLBCL between August 2005 and October 2018. Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the prognostic value of SII.

Results

In the ROC curve analysis, SII had the highest AUC and was more accurate as a prognostic factor. Patients with higher SII tended to have higher level of LDH, more advanced stage, poor PS, and high IPI score compared with low SII group. In univariate analyses, SII, PLR and NLR were all prognostic for progression-free survival and overall survival. Moreover, only SII, older age, HBSAg-positive and IPI were the independent prognostic factors for patients in multivariate analysis. The nomogram based on SII, older age, HBSAg status and IPI showed accurate prognostic ability for predicting 3-years and 5-years survival rates (c-index, 0.791) compared to the IPI alone (c-index, 0.716).

Conclusion

SII was a powerful tool for predicting outcome in patients with DLBCL. It might assist the separation of high-risk patients among patients with the same IPI.

Circulating low CD4+/CD8+ ratio is associated with poor prognosis in Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia patients

Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM) is a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma with great heterogeneity, and the data of peripheral blood T-lymphocyte subsets in WM are limited. This study aimed to investigate the clinical correlation and distribution of circulating T-lymphocyte subsets in newly diagnosed WM patients. We retrospectively searched medical records for 86 newly diagnosed WM patients. Comparisons of the absolute CD3⁺ T-lymphocyte count (ACD3C), CD4⁺ T-lymphocyte count (ACD4C), CD8⁺ T-lymphocyte count (ACD8C), and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ T-lymphocyte ratio (CD4⁺/CD8⁺) as continuous parameters in different groups were calculated. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Young patients (<65 years) had lower ACD8C levels and a higher CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio. And the lower level of β2-microglobulin (<3 mg/L) was associated with a higher CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio. With a median follow-up of 25 months, the univariate survival analysis showed that CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio inversion (CD4⁺/CD8⁺<1.5) was associated with shorter OS and PFS, and multivariate analysis confirmed that inverted CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio could be an independent adverse prognostic factor for OS and PFS. Additionally, initial treatment with rituximab or bortezomib significantly improved the PFS and OS of CD4⁺/CD8⁺ inversion patients but did not affect normal CD4⁺/CD8⁺ patients. We show that low circulating CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio at diagnosis is an adverse prognostic factor in WM patients and that first-line therapy which included rituximab or bortezomib significantly improved PFS and OS for patients with CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio less than 1.5.

The ISCCA flow protocol for the monitoring of anti-CD20 therapies in autoimmune disorders

BACKGROUND

Anti-CD20 monoclonals (MoAbs) are used in a variety of autoimmune disorders. The aim is to eliminate memory B cells sustaining the tissue damage and the production of pathogenic autoantibodies, while preserving naïve cells. The disappearance of memory B cells and the repopulation by naïve cells correlate with good clinical response, while the reappearance of memory B cells and plasmablasts correlates with relapse or resistance to therapy. Anti-CD20 induce extremely low B cell levels, requiring high-resolution techniques. The immune monitoring protocol developed by ISCCA is described and validated, to provide a standardized method for the clinical decision-making process during anti-CD20 therapies in autoimmune diseases.

METHODS

A 10-marker, 8-color staining panel (CD20-V450, CD45-V500c, CD4-FITC + sIgM-FITC, CD38-PE, CD3-PerCP Cy5.5, CD19-PE-Cy7, CD27-APC, CD8-APC H7 + sIgG-APC-H7) is used to identify B cells, plasma cells/blasts, naïve and memory B cells, sIgM+ and sIgG-switched memory B cells, T and NK cells, with high-sensitivity analysis (>10⁶ CD45+ cells).

RESULTS

After an anti-CD20 dose, the B cell level is about zero in most patients. If B cells remain virtually absent (<0.1/μl), subsetting is not reliable nor meaningful. If B cells raise >0.3-0.5/μl, subsetting is possible and informative, acquiring >1.0-1.5 × 10⁶ CD45+ events. Further testings can follow the quality of B cell repopulation. If B cells become detectable (>1/μl), the prevalence of memory B cells indicates non-responsiveness or a possible relapse.

CONCLUSIONS

The ISCCA Protocol is proposed for a standardized prospective monitoring of patients with autoimmune disorders, to assist the safe and rational usage of anti-CD20 therapies.

Avadomide monotherapy in relapsed/refractory DLBCL: safety, efficacy, and a predictive gene classifier

Treatment options for relapsed/refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) are limited, with no standard of care; prognosis is poor, with 4- to 6-month median survival. Avadomide (CC-122) is a cereblon-modulating agent with immunomodulatory and direct antitumor activities. This phase 1 dose-expansion study assessed safety and clinical activity of avadomide monotherapy in patients with de novo R/R DLBCL and transformed lymphoma. Additionally, a novel gene expression classifier, which identifies tumors with a high immune cell infiltration, was shown to enrich for response to avadomide in R/R DLBCL. Ninety-seven patients with R/R DLBCL, including 12 patients with transformed lymphoma, received 3 to 5 mg avadomide administered on continuous or intermittent schedules until unacceptable toxicity, disease progression, or withdrawal. Eighty-two patients (85%) experienced ≥1 grade 3/4 treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs), most commonly neutropenia (51%), infections (24%), anemia (12%), and febrile neutropenia (10%). Discontinuations because of AEs occurred in 10% of patients. Introduction of an intermittent 5/7-day schedule improved tolerability and reduced frequency and severity of neutropenia, febrile neutropenia, and infections. Among 84 patients with de novo R/R DLBCL, overall response rate (ORR) was 29%, including 11% complete response (CR). Responses were cell-of-origin independent. Classifier-positive DLBCL patients (de novo) had an ORR of 44%, median progression-free survival (mPFS) of 6 months, and 16% CR vs an ORR of 19%, mPFS of 1.5 months, and 5% CR in classifier-negative patients (P = .0096). Avadomide is being evaluated in combination with other antilymphoma agents. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01421524.