Abstract
CD25 expression in follicular lymphoma (FL) has not yet been investigated. Eighty-five patients with newly diagnosed FL were retrospectively evaluated. On two-color flow cytometric analysis, CD25 was detected on CD19 + and CD20 + lymphoma cells. CD25 expression in FL tended to be higher than in reactive lymphadenopathy, but was lower than in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Patients with CD25 + FL (n = 12) showed clinical features of elevated soluble interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) levels, B symptoms and an advanced age compared with CD25 − FL (n = 73). The overall response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with CD25 + FL were significantly inferior to those with CD25 − FL (ORR, 60 vs. 93%; 2-year PFS, 32 vs. 80.3%; 6-year OS, 47.4 vs. 85.9%, respectively). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that CD25 positivity is an independent prognostic factor for PFS and OS in FL. CD25 + FL may constitute a distinct subgroup associated with aggressiveness and an inferior prognosis.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank all of the laboratory technicians in the Division of Cell Transplantation and Transfusion, Jichi Medical University Hospital, who performed FCM. This work was supported by KAKENHI (No. 23590686).
Potential conflict of interest:
Disclosure forms provided by the authors are available with the full text of this article at www.informahealthcare.com/lal.