Primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the central nervous system identified with CSF biomarkers.

BACKGROUND: Diagnosis of primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the central nervous system (PCNSL) is challenging and often delayed. MRI imaging, CSF cytology and flow cytometry have a low sensitivity and even brain biopsies can be misleading. We report three cases of PCNSL with various clinical presentation and radiological findings where the diagnosis was suggested by novel CSF biomarkers and subsequently confirmed by brain biopsy or autopsy. CASE PRESENTATIONS: The first case is a 79-year-old man with severe neurocognitive dysfunction and static ataxia evolving over 5 months. Brain MRI revealed a nodular ventriculitis. An open brain biopsy was inconclusive. The second case is a 60-year-old woman with progressive sensory symptoms in all four limbs, evolving over 1 year. Brain and spinal MRI revealed asymmetric T2 hyperintensities of the corpus callosum, corona radiata and corticospinal tracts. The third case is a 72-year-old man recently diagnosed with primary vitreoretinal lymphoma of the right eye. A follow-up brain MRI performed 4 months after symptom onset revealed a T2 hyperintense fronto-sagittal lesion, with gadolinium uptake and perilesional edema. In all three cases, CSF flow cytometry and cytology were negative. Mutation analysis on the CSF (either by digital PCR or by next generation sequencing) identified the MYD88 L265P hotspot mutation in all three cases. A B-cell clonality study, performed in case 1 and 2, identified a monoclonal rearrangement of the immunoglobulin light chain lambda (IGL) and kappa (IGK) gene. CSF CXCL-13 and IL-10 levels were high in all three cases, and IL-10/IL-6 ratio was high in two. Diagnosis of PCNSL was later confirmed by autopsy in case 1, and by brain biopsy in case 2 and 3. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, 5 CSF biomarkers (IL-10, IL-10/IL-6 ratio, CXCL13, MYD88 mutation and monoclonal IG gene rearrangements) were strongly indicative of a PCNSL. Using innovative CSF biomarkers can be sensitive and complementary to traditional CSF analysis and brain biopsy in the diagnosis of PCNSL, potentially allowing for earlier diagnosis and treatment.

Clinical implications of CSF-ctDNA positivity in newly diagnosed diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

The clinical implications of CSF-ctDNA positivity in newly diagnosed diffuse large B cell lymphoma (ND-DLBCL) remains largely unexplored. One hundred ND-DLBCL patients were consecutively enrolled as training cohort and another 26 ND-DLBCL patients were prospectively enrolled in validation cohort. CSF-ctDNA positivity (CSF(+)) was identified in 25 patients (25.0%) in the training cohort and 7 patients (26.9%) in the validation cohort, extremely higher than CNS involvement rate detected by conventional methods. Patients with mutations of CARD11, JAK2, ID3, and PLCG2 were more predominant with CSF(+) while FAT4 mutations were negatively correlated with CSF(+). The downregulation of PI3K-AKT signaling, focal adhesion, actin cytoskeleton, and tight junction pathways were enriched in CSF(+) ND-DLBCL. Furthermore, pretreatment CSF(+) was significantly associated with poor outcomes. Three risk factors, including high CSF protein level, high plasma ctDNA burden, and involvement of high-risk sites were used to predict the risk of CSF(+) in ND-DLBCL. The sensitivity and specificity of pretreatment CSF-ctDNA to predict CNS relapse were 100% and 77.3%. Taken together, we firstly present the prevalence and the genomic and transcriptomic landscape for CSF-ctDNA(+) DLBCL and highlight the importance of CSF-ctDNA as a noninvasive biomarker in detecting and monitoring of CSF infiltration and predicting CNS relapse in DLBCL.

A Set of 17 microRNAs Common for Brain and Cerebrospinal Fluid Differentiates Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma from Non-Malignant Brain Tumors.

The diagnosis of primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma, which is predominantly of the diffuse large B-cell lymphoma type (CNS DLBCL), is challenging. MicroRNAs (miRs) are gene expression-regulating non-coding RNAs that are potential biomarkers. We aimed to distinguish miR expression patterns differentiating CNS DLBCL and non-malignant CNS diseases with tumor presentation (n-ML). Next generation sequencing-based miR profiling of cerebrospinal fluids (CSFs) and brain tumors was performed. Sample source-specific (CSF vs. brain tumor) miR patterns were revealed. Even so, a set of 17 miRs differentiating CNS DLBCL from n-ML, no matter if assessed in CSF or in a tumor, was identified. Along with the results of pathway analyses, this suggests their pathogenic role in CNS DLBCL. A combination of just four of those miRs (miR-16-5p, miR-21-5p, miR-92a-3p, and miR-423-5p), assessed in CSFs, discriminated CNS DLBCL from n-ML samples with 100% specificity and 67.0% sensitivity. Analyses of paired CSF-tumor samples from patients with CNS DLBCL showed significantly lower CSF levels of miR-26a, and higher CSF levels of miR-15a-5p, miR-15b-5p, miR-19a-3p, miR-106b-3p, miR-221-3p, and miR-423-5p. Noteworthy, the same miRs belonged to the abovementioned set differentiating CNS DLBCL from non-malignant CNS diseases. Our results not only add to the basic knowledge, but also hold significant translational potential.

Case Report: Identification of Potential Prognosis-Related TP53 Mutation and BCL6-LPP Fusion in Primary Pituitary Lymphoma by Next Generation Sequencing: Two Cases.

Background: Primary pituitary lymphoma (PPL) is an extremely rare disease with poor prognosis. Although PPL has been shown to be different from classical primary central nervous system lymphoma because of the embryological origin of structures, individual and precise treatment of PPL remains unknown. Methods: A 61-year-old man and a 65-year-old woman both diagnosed with primary pituitary diffuse large B cell lymphoma underwent genetic analysis of cerebrospinal fluid and tumor tissue by next generation sequencing. Results: In the first case, partial remission was achieved following R²-MTX chemotherapy. In the other case with TP53 mutation and BCL6-LPP fusion, disease progressed although different chemotherapy regimens were given. Conclusion: The gene mutation of TP53 and BCL6 may be identified as a marker responsible for prognostic difference in patients with PPL. Genetic analysis may provide a novel approach for precise management and prognosis prediction.

Characteristics of Central Nervous System (CNS) Involvement in Children With Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) and the Diagnostic Value of CSF Flow Cytometry in CNS Positive Disease.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the characteristics of central nervous system (CNS) involvement in children with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and the value of flow cytometry (FC) in the diagnosis of CNS disease in pediatric NHL. METHODS: The data of 56 newly diagnosed pediatric NHL patients with CNS involvement (CNS+/mass, CNS+/palsy, CNS+/CSF) were analyzed. The proportions and formats of CNS disease in different pathological types were compared. In addition, FC and conventional cytology (CC) of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were carried out in 383 newly diagnosed NHL cases. RESULTS: A total of 383 children with NHL were enrolled. Among these patients, 56 (14.6%) were diagnosed with positive CNS involvement (CNS+), 33 had bulky disease (tumor diameter >10 cm), 32 had bone marrow invasion, 32 had lactate dehydrogenase levels >1000 U/L, and 25 had invasion of more than 4 organs at the time of diagnosis. There were 14 patients with T lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL), 9 with B lymphoblastic lymphoma (B-LBL), 26 with Burkitt's lymphoma (BL), and 2 with Epstein-Barr virus-positive diffuse large B cell lymphoma (EBV + DLBCL). Among the 56 CNS+ patients, 35 were CSF-positive (CSF+); there were 2 patients who were CSF+ via CC detection and 35 who were CSF+ via FC detection. The difference between CC and FC was statistically significant (P < 0.01). In the T-LBL group, 14 patients were CNS+/CSF, and in the B-LBL group, 8 were CNS+/mass. In the BL group, 22 patients were CNS+/mass and 15 were CNS+/CSF. In the anaplastic large-cell lymphoma group, 5 patients were CNS+/mass. Nine of the 56 CNS+ patients had events. The 2-year overall survival rate was 87% ± 0.046%, and the 2-year event-free survival rate was 76.2% ± 0.07%. CONCLUSION: CNS+ diagnoses were more common in pediatric NHL patients with bulky disease and/or bone marrow involvement and/or involvement of more than 4 organs at the time of diagnosis, and they were also common in the EBV + DLBCL and BL groups. FC of CSF showed important clinical significance in the diagnosis of CNS disease in pediatric NHL patients, and it can be used to significantly improve the CNS+ detection rate.

[Primary neurolymphomatosis in the cauda equina as the initial symptom of human immunodeficiency virus]. / Neurolinfomatosis primaria de cola de caballo como manifestacion inicial del virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana.

TITLE: Neurolinfomatosis primaria de cola de caballo como manifestacion inicial del virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana.

[A case of secondary central nervous system lymphoma presenting marked hypoglycorrhachia].

A 67-year-old male was transferred to our hospital with diplopia, decreased deep tendon reflex and ataxia. He had been suspected Fisher syndrome because of previous upper respiratory tract infection. A cerebrospinal fluid examination showed marked hypoglycorrhachia, pleocytosis and elevated protein, and cytological examination suggested malignant lymphoma. Abdominal computed tomography revealed a left adrenal mass. A biopsy of the left adrenal mass revealed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. He was treated with a combination of R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin hydrochloride, oncovin and prednisolone) and intrathecal administration of methotrexate, cytarabine and prednisolone. Neurological symptoms were gradually improved. Malignancy should be considered in addition to bacterial, fungal or tuberculous meningitis in a case with marked hypoglycorrhachia.

Diagnosis of central nervous system lymphoma via cerebrospinal fluid cytology: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is the most prevalent brain, spinal cord, eyes, and leptomeningeal lymphoma. It is often misdiagnosed due to an unspecific presentation or unavailable biopsy and results in a poor prognosis. Although the craniocerebral imaging examination of PCNSL has some characteristics, it is limited, and atypical cases are especially difficult to identify with intracranial tumours and other diseases. The biopsy, as the gold standard for PCNSL diagnosis, is not eligible for all patients suspected of having PCNSL. CASE PRESENTATION: This report documents a woman who presented with a three-month history of numbness and weakness in the right leg. She was treated with drugs at a local hospital for one month. She developed demyelination lesions and her symptoms were aggravated. The patient was admitted to the Department of Nerve Infection and Immunology at Tiantan Hospital. Head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enhanced scanning indicated significant inflammatory demyelinating disease, and lymphoma was not excluded. CSF revealed a high protein level and CSF cytology detected abnormal cells, PCNSL was eventually presumed according to positive CSF cytology and cytological detection of the cerebrospinal fluid flow. CONCLUSIONS: PCNSL is a highly invasive tumour. With the development of technologies such as cerebrospinal fluid cytology and flow cytology, CSF analysis has become one of the definite diagnosis methods, and the tumour cell finding in CSF is the only reliable basis for diagnosis. Flow cytometric analysis and gene rearrangement testing also provide objective evidence.

Orexin secretion abnormality involved in excessive somnolence in CNS lymphoma without hypothalamic lesions.

A 72-year-old woman developed excessive somnolence as one of the symptoms of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in the central nervous system (CNS). Although somnolence might be caused by reduced orexin secretion associated with hypothalamic lesions, neither brain MRI nor 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography identified hypothalamic lesions. However, the decreased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) orexin levels recovered to near normal values with improvement of somnolence after chemotherapy. The alteration of CSF orexin levels suggested the involvement of potential hypothalamic lesions. Therefore, measurements of CSF orexin levels may be useful for understanding the pathological background of somnolence in CNS lymphoma without hypothalamic lesions.

[Magnetic resonance as initial screening diagnosis of secondary involvement of central nervous system in NHL diffuse large B cell lymphoma] / Resonancia magnética como screening inicial de diagnóstico de compromiso secundario del sistema nervioso central en LNH difuso de grandes Células B.

Background: Background: Central Nervous System (CNS) relapse in Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma occurs mostly 6-8 months after disease onset. This has led to propose that CNS infiltration is an early event in the evolution of the disease. We intend to evaluate the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MR) at diagnosis to detect early SNC compromise. Methods: Prospective longitudinal cohort's study in DGCB patients treated at Hospital de Clínicas between 2013 and 2015. Skull MRI was performed in all patients at diagnosis and lumbar puncture was done according to predefined risk factors. Results: 35 patients were analyzed. Median age: 68 years (24-85 years). Stage III-IV: 62%, 57% good prognosis according to RIPI score and 43% poor prognosis. MRI was performed in all patients, with no pathological findings in any of them. Twenty-one patients fullfilled criteria for cerebrospinal fluid study. Twenty-two patients were studied and received intrathecal methotrexate prophylaxis. Meningeal relapse was observed in a single patient who had negative studies at diagnosis and had received complete prophylaxis at the end of the 6 R-CHOP series. Conclusions: Only one of the 35 patients relapsed in the CNS. This patient had a noral MRI and CSF study at diagnosis and had received prophylaxis with intrathecal chemotherapy. This results lead us to believe that the value of MRI to detect early infiltration in asymptomatic patients at diagnosis is low.

Antecedentes: la recaída en el Sistema Nervioso Central (SNC) del Linfoma No Hodgkin Difuso de Grandes Células B ocurre más frecuentemente 6-8 meses del debut de la enfermedad. Esto ha levado a plantear que la infiltración en SNC es un evento temprano en esta enfermedad. Nos proponemos evaluar el valor de la realización de estudio imagenológico por Resonancia Magnética (RM) al debut para detectar compromiso precoz. Materiales y métodos: Estudio longitudinal prospectivo de cohortes en LNH DGCB tratados en el Hospital de Clínicas entre 2013 y 2015. A todos los pacientes se les realizó RM de cráneo al debut y estudio de líquido cefaloraquídeo (LCR) según factores de riesgo predefinidos. Resultados: Se analizaron 35 pacientes. Mediana de edad: 68 años (24-85 años). Estadío III-IV: 62%; 57% presentaron buen pronóstico según score RIPI al debut y 43% mal pronóstico. Se realizó RM a todos los pacientes, no habiéndose encontrado hallazgos patológicos en ninguno de ellos. Veintitres pacientes tuvieron criterio de estudio del LCR de los cuales veintidós se estudiaron y recibieron profilaxis con metotrexate intratecal. Se observó recaída meníngea en una única paciente con estudios negativos al debut y profilaxis completa al mes de finalizadas las 6 series de R-CHOP. Conclusiones: De 35 pacientes uno sólo recayó en el SNC; el mismo había recibido profilaxis con quimioterapia intratecal y presentó una RM normal al debut de su enfermedad. Los resultados nos conducen a pensar que el valor de la RM para detectar precozmente infiltración en pacientes asintomáticos al debut es bajo.

MicroRNA-30c as a novel diagnostic biomarker for primary and secondary B-cell lymphoma of the CNS.

Primary lymphomas of the central nervous system (PCNSL) are highly aggressive tumors affecting exclusively the CNS, meninges, and eyes. PCNSL must be separated from secondary spread of systemic lymphoma to the CNS (SCNSL), which may occur at diagnosis or relapse of systemic lymphomas. At present, there are no valid methods to distinguish PCNSL from SCNSL based on tumor biopsy because of similar histological presentation. However, SCNSL and PCNSL are different in terms of prognosis and adequate therapy protocols. MicroRNA expression profiles of CSF samples collected from SCNSL and PCNSL patients were compared using microRNA arrays. MiR-30c revealed the largest differential expression and was selected for validation by RT-PCR on 61 CSF samples from patients with PCNSL and 14 samples from SCNSL. MiR-30c was significantly increased in patients with SCNSL compared to PCNSL (p < 0.001). MiR-30c levels in CSF enabled the differentiation of patients with PCNSL from SCNSL with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.86, with a sensitivity of 90.9% and a specificity of 85.5%. Our data suggest that miR-30c detected in the CSF can serve as biomarker for distinction between PCNSL and SCNSL. The validation in a larger cohort is needed. With respect to its function, miR-30c may facilitate lymphoma cells to engraft into CNS by interaction with CELSR3 gene that controls the function of ependymal cilia and, thus, affects the circulation of CSF.

Diagnostic value of interleukin-10 in cerebrospinal fluid for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the central nervous system.

A biomarker for early diagnosis of central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma would permit early treatment for attenuation of disease progression and neurological deterioration. High interleukin-10 (IL-10) or an IL-10/IL-6 ratio >1.0 are informative parameters for discriminating intraocular lymphomas from uveitis. Recent reports have also shown that CSF IL-10 is a potential diagnostic biomarker for CNS lymphoma. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of IL-10 in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in patients with CNS lymphoma compared with other CNS diseases, including CNS tumors and inflammatory diseases. CSF IL-10, IL-6, beta-2 microglobulin, soluble IL-2 receptor and FDG-PET SUVmax were measured in 19 patients with CNS lymphoma (15 primary and 4 secondary diffuse large B-cell lymphomas) and 26 non-lymphoma patients with various brain tumors and inflammatory diseases. The diagnostic accuracy of the respective examinations for differentiation of CNS lymphomas from non-lymphomas was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was calculated. CSF IL-10 was detected at significant levels (median, 28 pg/ml; range <2-4,100 pg/ml) in all except one patient with CNS lymphoma, but not detected in any non-lymphoma patients. CSF IL-10 had the highest diagnostic accuracy with AUC = 0.974. At an IL-10 cutoff of 3 pg/ml, the sensitivity and specificity were 94.7 and 100 %, respectively. These results indicate that CSF IL-10 is a superior biomarker for initial screening for patients with CNS lymphoma.

Contribution of cerebrospinal fluid sCD19 levels to the detection of CNS lymphoma and its impact on disease outcome.

Flow cytometry (FCM) is more sensitive than conventional cytology for detection of occult leptomeningeal lymphoma; however, some FCM-negative patients show central nervous system (CNS) recurrence. Here, we evaluated the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of 13 B-cell-associated markers and their contribution to the diagnosis of CNS lymphoma in 91 diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) and 22 Burkitt lymphomas (BLs). From all markers tested, CD19 was the most informative. Thus, higher soluble CD19 (sCD19) levels were associated with a greater frequency of neurological symptoms in DLBCL and BL and with parenchymal CNS lymphoma in DLBCL; sCD19 emerged as a powerful predictor of event-free and overall survival in DLBCL and BL, particularly when combined with FCM detection of CNS disease. These results support the utility of combined FCM detection of lymphoma cells and assessment of sCD19 levels in CSF, for more accurate identification of CNS disease in DLBCL and BL patients.

[Detection of malignant B lymphocytes in cerebrospinal fluid by using BIOMED-2 PCR].

The purpose of this study was to develop a sensitive method for the detection of malignant B lymphocytes in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who were considered as risk of central nervous system (CNS) involvement. Nine CSF samples were collected and then centrifuged. The cell precipitate was lysed directly. The supernatant was used to detect immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) gene rearrangement (characteristic changes of malignant B lymphocytes ) by BIOMED-2 PCR. The sensitivity of this method was compared with that of cytology defection and flow cytometry. In addition, through a series of quantity/concentration of tumor cells, the sensitivity differences caused by two sample handling methods (direct cell lysis vs traditional DNA extraction) were analyzed, and the sensitivity of direct cell lysis combined with BIOMED-2 PCR was evaluated. The results showed that the positive clonality of IgH gene rearrangement were detected by BIOMED-2 PCR in 5 cases, but the positive were detected by cytology defection/flow cytometry only in 2 cases, which indicated that the BIOMED-2 PCR assay gives a better yield. In addition, when combined with BIOMED-2 PCR, direct cell lysis produced sensitivity much higher than DNA extraction. The former can enable clonality detection from a minimum of 0.1%/20 tumor cells. It is concluded the method of direct cell lysis combined with BIOMED-2 PCR is sensitive and suitable for paucicellular CSF detection. It may aid the diagnosis of CNS involvement in patients with DLBCL.