Profiling of lymphoma from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue

The AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource (ACSR): HIV malignancy specimens and data available at no cost

The goal of the AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource (ACSR) is to play a major role in the advancement of HIV/AIDS cancer-related research/treatment by providing richly annotated biospecimens and data to researchers at no cost. The ACSR acquires, stores, and equitably distributes these samples and associated clinical data to investigators conducting HIV/AIDS-related research, at no costs. Currently, it is the only biorepository of human biospecimens from people with HIV and cancer available to eligible researchers globally who are studying HIV associated malignancies.This review describes the history and organizational structure of the ACSR, its types of specimens in its inventory, and the process of requesting specimens. In addition, the review provides an overview of research that was performed over the last 5 years with its support and gives a summary of important new findings acquired by this research into the development of cancers in people with HIV, including both Aids-related and non-Aids-related malignancies.

Cell-of-origin determined by both gene expression profiling and immunohistochemistry is the strongest predictor of survival in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

The tumor cells in diffuse large B‐cell lymphomas (DLBCL) are considered to originate from germinal center derived B‐cells (GCB) or activated B‐cells (ABC). Gene expression profiling (GEP) is preferably used to determine the cell of origin (COO). However, GEP is not widely applied in clinical practice and consequently, several algorithms based on immunohistochemistry (IHC) have been developed. Our aim was to evaluate the concordance of COO assignment between the Lymph2Cx GEP assay and the IHC‐based Hans algorithm, to decide which model is the best survival predictor. Both GEP and IHC were performed in 359 homogenously treated Swedish and Danish DLBCL patients, in a retrospective multicenter cohort. The overall concordance between GEP and IHC algorithm was 72%; GEP classified 85% of cases assigned as GCB by IHC, as GCB, while 58% classified as non‐GCB by IHC, were categorized as ABC by GEP. There were significant survival differences (overall survival and progression‐free survival) if cases were classified by GEP, whereas if cases were categorized by IHC only progression‐free survival differed significantly. Importantly, patients assigned as non‐GCB/ABC both by IHC and GEP had the worst prognosis, which was also significant in multivariate analyses. Double expression of MYC and BCL2 was more common in ABC cases and was associated with a dismal outcome. In conclusion, to determine COO both by IHC and GEP is the strongest outcome predictor to identify DLBCL patients with the worst outcome.

Cell-free DNA and the monitoring of lymphoma treatment

The technique of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) analysis, also called liquid biopsy, has been developed over the past several years to serve as a minimal residual disease tool, as has already been done with reliability and robustness in acute leukemias. This technique has important theoretical advantages, including the simplicity of acquiring blood samples, which can easily be repeated over time, its noninvasive and quantitative nature, which provides results consistent with the results obtained from tumor genomic DNA, and its speed and low cost. cfDNA analysis, as the leading tool to quantify somatic mutations, is a major technological leap in the noninvasive management of lymphomas. This technology may empower monitoring and treatment adjustment in real time and enable the quick detection of refractory lymphomas and resistance to routine therapies. Here, we summarize the results that have established the clinical relevance of cfDNA in diagnostic and prognostic stratification and the monitoring of lymphoma treatments.

Update on the classification of T-cell lymphomas, Hodgkin lymphomas, and histiocytic/dendritic cell neoplasms

Introduction: The classification of lymphomas is based on the postulated normal counterparts of lymphoid neoplasms and currently constitutes over 100 definite or provisional entities. As this number of entities implies, lymphomas show marked pathological, genetic, and clinical heterogeneity. Recent molecular findings have significantly advanced our understanding of lymphomas. Areas covered: The World Health Organization (WHO) classification of lymphoid neoplasms was updated in 2017. The present review summarizes the new findings that have been gained in the areas of mature T-cell neoplasms, Hodgkin lymphomas, and histiocytic/dendritic cell neoplasms since the publication of the 2017 WHO classification. Expert opinion: Although formal revisions to the WHO classification are published only periodically, our understanding of the pathologic, genetic, and clinical features of lymphoid neoplasms is constantly evolving, particularly in the age of -omics technologies and targeted therapeutics. Even in the relatively short time since the publication of the 2017 WHO classification, many significant findings have been identified in the entities covered in this review.