Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have suggested that t(14;18) is present in a significant proportion of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs). However, the prognostic significance of this translocation and its relationship with BCL-2 protein expression remains controversial. Our study aimed to investigate the predictive power of t(14;18) and BCL-2 protein expression in the prognosis of DLBCLs. METHODS: Biopsy specimens from 106 DLBCLs were analyzed using interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Immunophenotypic analysis of CD20, CD3, CD10, BCL-6, MUM1 and BCL-2 was performed by immunohistochemistry. SPSS 13.0 software was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The t(14;18) was identified in 27 of 106 cases (25.5%). The percentages of tumor cells expressing CD10, BCL-6, MUM1 and BCL-2 were 21.7%, 26.4%, 56.6% and 73.6%, respectively. The presence of this translocation was significantly correlated with the expression of CD10 and immunophenotypic subtype (p<0.001). No association was observed between BCL-2 protein expression and the presence of t(14;18). Multivariate analysis confirmed that both t(14;18) and BCL-2 expression were significantly associated with survival. Moreover, patients with t(14;18) had worse prognosis, compared with those with BCL-2 expression (for overall survival: hazard ratio, 4.235; 95%CI, 2.153-8.329, p<0.001 vs. hazard ration, 2.743; 95%CI, 1.262-5.962, p=0.011). CONCLUSIONS: The t(14;18) is a useful prognostic tool for the evaluation of DLBCL immunophenotype and prognosis. The prognosis of GCB (germinal centre-like B cell) DLBCL patients should be made with the consideration of the presence of this translocation, and the detection of t(14;18) should be included as a routine diagnostic test in these cases.