Diabetes mellitus potentiates diffuse large B-cell lymphoma via high levels of CCL5

Diabetes, metformin use and risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in postmenopausal women: A prospective cohort analysis in the Women's Health Initiative

Epidemiologic evidence is limited about associations between T2DM, metformin, and the risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). We aimed to examine associations between T2DM, metformin, and the risk of NHL in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Study. Information on T2DM status (diabetes status/types of antidiabetic drug use/diabetes duration) from study enrollment and during follow-up were assessed. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to evaluate associations of T2DM status with risks of overall NHL and its three major subtypes [diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL, n = 476), follicular lymphoma (FL, n = 301) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL, n = 136)] based on multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models. During a median follow-up of 18.86 years (range, 0.01-25.13; SD ± 6.55), a total of 1637 women developed NHL among 147 885 postmenopausal women. Women with T2DM and with self-reported oral medication use had 38% and 55% higher risk of DLBCL, respectively [multivariable-adjusted model HR = 1.38, 95% CI (1.06-1.81) and HR = 1.55, 95% CI (1.16-2.06)] compared to the reference group (nondiabetics/untreated diabetes). Risks of NHL and DLBCL [multivariable-adjusted model: HR = 1.28, 95% CI (1.06-1.54) and HR = 1.56, 95% CI (1.13-2.14), respectively] were significantly higher in associations with relatively short duration (≤7 years) of diabetes, compared to reference group. Additionally, an increased risk of DLBCL [HR = 1.76, 95% CI (1.13-2.75)] was found in metformin users compared to the reference group. Postmenopausal women who had T2DM, who were oral antidiabetic drug users, especially metformin, and who had a shorter diabetes duration may have higher risks of DLBCL. Further well-designed research is needed to confirm our findings.

The microenvironment of DLBCL is characterized by noncanonical macrophages recruited by tumor-derived CCL5

Tissue invasion by tumor cells induces a host inflammatory response that variably impacts tumorigenesis. This has been well documented for tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) that could play a pro/M2- or an anti/M1-tumoral function. TAMs frequently infiltrate diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), an aggressive neoplasm arising from germinal center-experienced B cells. However, the pathway leading to the presence of TAMs in DLBCL remains unknown, and their impact is unclear. Here, we show that some DLBCL tumor cells expressed the chemokine CCL5, enabling the differential recruitment of blood monocytes through their expression of CCR1 and CCR5. CCL5 expression by DLBCL was not related to molecular subtypes, and healthy tonsillar B cells did not produce this chemokine, implying a posttransformation event. A single-cell analysis revealed that most DLBCL TAMs had a noncanonical gene signature with the concomitant expression of M1 and M2 genes. The presence of noncanonical TAMs may explain the lack of impact of macrophages on DLBCL development reported in some survival studies.

Pre-treatment serum IL-10 predicts the risk of secondary central nervous system involvement in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

BACKGROUND

As diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a very heterogeneous group of lymphomas, much effort has gone in trying to identify patients with increased risk for early death or secondary central nervous system (CNS) involvement. To better predict their outcomes, we measured the levels of various cytokines in serum samples of patients with DLBCL and analyzed their clinical outcomes.

METHODS

We measured the levels of seven serum cytokines at diagnosis in 313 DLBCL patients who were treated with R-CHOP. Their impact on clinical outcomes, including time to secondary CNS involvement and the 3-year overall survival (OS) rate, were analyzed.

RESULTS

The median age was 56 years (range, 16-86 years), and 177 patients (57%) were men. Secondary CNS involvement was found in 5.4% (16/294) cases, and time to secondary CNS involvement was significantly short in patients with elevated interleukin (IL)-10 (p = 0.012). With the 3-year OS rate of the whole cohort being 73.6%, serum levels of several cytokines, such as CCL3 > 4.0 pg/mL (54.3% vs. 76.1%, p = 0.001), CCL5 > 450 pg/mL (57.0% vs. 78.1%, p < 0.001), any expression of IL-6 (59.3% vs. 76.6%, p = 0.001), and any expression of IL-10 (68.2% vs. 84.5%, p = 0.001), showed prognostic impact. Higher expressions of these cytokines were associated with worse manifestations of clinical prognostic factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study revealed that some cytokines impact OS and secondary CNS involvement. Future studies are required to elucidate how these findings can be incorporated to the conventional prognostic factors for more tailored approaches.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus compromises the survival of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients treated with (R)-CHOP - the PLRG report

Comorbidities impair the prognosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DMT2) increases the risk of other comorbidities, e.g., heart failure (HF). Thus, we hypothesized that pre-existing DMT2 may negatively affect the outcome of DLBCL. To verify this, DLBCL patients treated with (R)-CHOP were enrolled. 469 patients were eligible, with a median age of 57 years; 356 patients had advanced-stage DLBCL. 126 patients had high-intermediate and 83 high-risk international prognostic index (IPI). Seventy-six patients had DMT2, 46 HF; 26 patients suffered from both DMT2 and HF. In the analyzed group DMT2 or HF significantly shortened overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS): the 5-year OS for patients with DMT2 was 64% vs 79% and for those with HF: 49% vs 79%. The 5-year PFS for DMT2 was 50.6% vs 62.5% and for HF 39.4% vs 63.2%. The relapse/progression incidence was comparable between groups; the non-relapse/progression mortality (NRPM) was significantly higher solely in DMT2 patients (5-year NRPM 22.5% vs 8.4%). The risk of death was higher in patients with higher IPI (HR = 1.85) and with DMT2 (HR = 1.87). To conclude, pre-existing DMT2, in addition to a higher IPI and HF, was a negative predictor for OS and PFS.

High Glucose Promotes Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition, Migration and Invasion in A20 Murine Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Cells Through Increased Expression of High Mobility Group AT-Hook 2 (HMGA2)

Background

Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus have been reported to be at increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common type of high-grade NHL. This study aimed to investigate the effects of high glucose on cell migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and the expression of high mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) in A20 murine DLBCL cells.

Material/Methods

Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot were used to analyze the expression of HMGA2 at the gene and protein level and EMT markers in the A20 murine DLBCL cell line. A transwell assay evaluated cell migration and invasion of A20 cells. Short-interfering RNA (siRNA) was used to knockdown HMGA2 expression.

Results

High glucose levels upregulated the expression of HMGA2, induced phenotypic changes of EMT, and increased cell migration and invasion in A20 cells. Knockdown of HMGA2 by siRNA effectively inhibited EMT induced by high glucose in A20 cells by directly regulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Conclusions

In the A20 murine DLBCL cell line, high glucose upregulated the expression of HMGA2 to induce EMT and promote cell migration and invasion through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Diabetes mellitus predicts inferior survival in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: a propensity score-matched analysis

Purpose: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with elevated cancer risk and poor survival. The objective of this study was to assess the prognostic value of DM in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Methods: Five hundred and fifty-three newly diagnosed DLBCL patients whose treatments included rituximab were recruited. Propensity score-matched method was performed to balance baseline characteristics and eliminate possible bias. Multivariate Cox regression analyses screened the prognostic risk factors in relation to progression-free survival (PFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). Receiver-operator characteristic curves and the corresponding areas under the curve (AUC) assessed the predictive accuracy of international prognostic index (IPI) together with DM. Results: One hundred and nine patients (19.71%) had pre-existing DM. In the propensity-matched cohort, DM was associated with unfavorable PFS and CSS in rituximab era, and it was an independent risk factor for both inferior PFS and CSS, especially in patients with age ≤60 years, IPI 0-2, B symptoms and lactate dehydrogenase ≤upper limit of normal. Prediabetics also demonstrated inferior prognostic outcomes compared to patients with no diabetic tendency. DM as one additional point to IPI had larger AUC compared with IPI alone in CSS prediction and could improve the prognostic capacity of IPI. Conclusion: The results indicate that preexisting DM is an important risk factor for survival. It could help predict life expectancy and build refined prognostication models for DLBCL.

RETRACTED: Extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma masquerading a diabetic foot ulcer

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal). This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief due to an author reporting that they were listed without their permission.