Clinicopathologic features and prognostic significance of CD30 expression in de novo diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL): results in a homogeneous series from a single institution.

Introduction: The present study evaluates CD30 expression by immunohistochemistry (IHQ) in 216 patients with de novo DLBCL.Methods: CD30 expression was assessed retrospectively in all cases by IHQ. More than >0% and >20% of CD30 expression in the malignant cells were used as a cut-off for positivity. Survival was analysed in 176 patients treated with R-CHOP/R-CHOP-like regimens.Results: CD30 expression >0% was found in 66 (31%) patients, and >20% in 41 (19%). Younger patients <60 years (p = 0.03), good performance status (p = 0.04), and non-GCB subtype (p = 0.004) correlated with CD30 expression. No significant differences were found in overall survival and progression-free survival (PFS), although there was a trend towards better PFS in CD30-positive patients (p = 0.07). Among 7 patients with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive-DLBCL, CD30 was expressed in 71%, and 2-year PFS significantly inferior compared with CD30-positive EBV-negative-DLBCL patients (p = 0.01).Conclusion: CD30 is expressed in 30% of DLBCL patients, in whom targeted therapy with an anti-CD30 monoclonal antibody could be explored. CD30 is expressed more frequently younger patients, with better performance status and in the non-GCB subtype and its expression trends towards a better PFS. No significant differences regarding characteristics at diagnosis or prognosis were found between groups with different cut-off for positivity.

Response duration and survival shorten after each relapse in patients with follicular lymphoma treated in the rituximab era.

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is an indolent disease characterized by long survival but frequent relapses. Before the introduction of rituximab, the clinical course of these patients showed a shorter response duration (RD) after each relapse. In this study, we analysed if this pattern of shortened responses remains in patients treated in the rituximab era. We selected 348 patients newly diagnosed with FL in two institutions between 2001 and 2014 that received chemoimmunotherapy. After a median follow-up of 6·3 years, 10-year progression-free and overall survivals were 53% and 72%, respectively. All patients received first-line, 111 second-line and 41 third-line treatments, with a 5-year RD of 62%, 39% and 24%, respectively (P < 0·0001). Variables predicting longer RD after first-line treatment were normal ß2microglobulin, complete remission achievement and maintenance with rituximab. Patients with longer RD after first-line showed significantly longer RD after second-line therapy. Autologous stem-cell transplantation after second-line therapy did not significantly impact RD. Median survival after first, second and third therapies was not reached, 7·6 and 4·8 years, respectively, whereas relative survival with respect to a sex- and age-matched Spanish population, the decrease in the life expectancy at 10 years was 17%, 45% and 79%, respectively. Thus, RD still shortens after each relapse in patients with FL treated in first line with rituximab combinations.