Primary Breast Burkitt’s Lymphoma in an HIV-Infected Woman

A 30-year-old HIV positive woman presented with a multifocal mass tumour associated with axillary and lateral-cervical lymphadenopathy in the right breast. Laboratory examination of the biopsy confirmed a case of mammary Burkitt’s lymphoma with a nodular infiltration of the breast. Antiretroviral treatment and chemotherapy were effective to control the tumour. Although Burkitt’s lymphoma rarely involves the breasts, it should be considered during routine breast examination of African woman

Eruption of lymphocyte recovery with atypical lymphocytes mimicking a primary cutaneous T-cell lymphoma: a series of 12 patients.

Eruption of lymphocyte recovery (ELR) may occur during bone marrow aplasia after chemotherapies. We reviewed the clinical and pathologic features of 12 patients (male-female ratio, 7:5; median age, 61 years) with an atypical ELR histologically mimicking a primary cutaneous T-cell lymphoma such as Sézary syndrome or CD30+ T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder. All the patients displayed an erythematous maculopapular eruption on the trunk and the limbs associated with fever. All but one had received a polychemotherapy for an acute myeloid leukemia (n=10) or a urothelial carcinoma (n=1) before the occurrence of the skin eruption. One had an autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome causing chronic agranulocytosis requiring granulocyte colony-stimulating factor injection. In all patients, the skin eruption was associated with a slight increase of white blood cell count followed by bone marrow recovery within the next weeks. All skin biopsies showed a dermal perivascular lymphocytic infiltrate containing atypical medium- to large-sized CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+, CD25+, ICOS+, PD1- lymphocytes with a strong CD30 expression in most instances (n=10), suggesting the recruitment of strongly activated T cells in the skin. In 6 patients, a diagnosis of CD30+ lymphoproliferative disorder or Sézary syndrome was proposed or suspected histopathologically, and only the clinical context allowed the diagnosis of ELR with a peculiar presentation with atypical lymphocytes. We describe a series of patients with an unusual form of ELR characterized by the presence of atypical activated T cells in the skin. On a practical ground, pathologists should be aware of this distinctive and misleading presentation

HSP110 sustains chronic NF-κB signaling in activated B cell diffuse large B cell lymphoma through MyD88 stabilization

International audienceActivated B cell diffuse large B cell lymphoma (ABC-DLBCL) is an aggressive lymphoproliferative disorder involving chronic NF-κB activation. Several mutations in the BCR and the MyD88 signaling pathway components, such as MyD88 L265P, are implicated in this aberrant activation. Among heat-shock proteins, HSP110 has recently been identified as a pro- survival and/or proliferation factor in many cancers but its role in ABC-DLBCL survival mechanisms remained to be established. We observed that shRNA-mediated HSP110 silencing decreased the survival of several ABC-DLBCL cell lines, decreased IgM-MyD88 co-localization and subsequent NF-κB signaling. Conversely, over-expression of HSP110 in ABC-DLBCL or non-DLBCL cell lines increased NF-κB signaling, indicating a tight interplay between HSP110 and the NF-κB pathway. Using immunoprecipitation and proximity ligation assays, we identified an interaction between HSP110 and both wild type MyD88 and MyD88 L265P. HSP110 stabilized both MyD88 forms with a stronger effect on MyD88 L265P, therefore facilitating chronic NF-κB activation. Finally, HSP110 expression was higher in lymph-node biopsies of patients with ABC-DLBCL than in normal reactive lymph nodes and a strong correlation was found between the level of HSP110 and MyD88. In conclusion, we identified HSP110 as a regulator of NF-κB signaling through MyD88 stabilization in ABC-DLBCL. This finding reveals HSP110 as a new potential therapeutic target in ABC-DLBCL

BCL2 mutations do not confer adverse prognosis in follicular lymphoma patients treated with rituximab

International audienceBCL2 mutations have been suggested to confer an adverse prognosis to follicular lymphoma (FL) patients, but their prognostic value has not been assessed in patients treated with a rituximab-containing regimen. Here we evaluated the prognostic value of BCL2 mutations in a large prospective cohort of 252 patients with FL treated with immunochemotherapy in the PRIMA randomized trial. Using a DNA-targeted sequencing approach, we detected amino acid altering mutations in 135 patients (54%) and showed that these mutations were probably mediated by the over-activation of AICDA (activation-induced cytidine deaminase) in the context of the t(14;18) translocation. The BCL2 variants identified in PRIMA patients affected the BH1, BH2, and BH3 functional motifs at a lower frequency than the N-terminus and flexible loop domain, with mostly conservative aminoacid changes. With a median follow-up of 6.7 years, we did not observe any impact of BCL2 mutations either on overall survival or progression-free survival

Plasticity of Mature B Cells Between Follicular and Classic Hodgkin Lymphomas: A Series of 22 Cases Expanding the Spectrum of Transdifferentiation

International audienceFollicular lymphoma and classic Hodgkin lymphoma can be associated in composite and/or sequential lymphomas. Common IGH and BCL2 rearrangements have already been identified between both contingents of these entities, but mutation profiles have not yet been investigated. The main objective of this study was to analyze the transdifferentiation process that may occur between Hodgkin and follicular contingents in sequential and composite lymphomas to better characterize these entities. From 2004 to 2020, a retrospective multicentric study was performed, including 9 composite and 13 sequential lymphomas. Clinical data were retrospectively collected. Fluorescent in situ hybridization of BCL2 and BCL6 rearrangements, polymerase chain reaction of IGH and IGK rearrangements, next-generation sequencing of IGK rearrangement, and targeted next-generation sequencing (TNGS) on a panel of genes frequently mutated in lymphomas were performed on each contingent of composite and sequential lymphomas. For TNGS, each contingent was isolated by laser capture microdissection. Clinical presentation and evolution were more aggressive in sequential than composite lymphomas. By fluorescent in situ hybridization, common rearrangements of BCL6 and BCL2 were identified between both contingents. Similarly, a common clonal relationship was established by evaluating IGH and IGK rearrangement by polymerase chain reaction or next-generation sequencing. By TNGS, the same pathogenic variants were identified in both contingents in the following genes: CREBBP , KMT2D , BCL2 , EP300 , SF3B1 , SOCS1 , ARID1A , and BCOR . Specific pathogenic variants for each contingent were also identified: XPO1 for Hodgkin lymphoma contingent and FOXO1 , TNFRSF14 for follicular lymphoma contingent. This study reinforces the hypothesis of a transdifferentiation process between Hodgkin and follicular contingent of sequential/composite lymphomas

In situ BCL2 expression is an independent prognostic factor in HIV‐associated DLBCL, a LYMPHOVIR cohort study

International audienceThe prognostic value of cell of origin (COO) classification and BCL2 expression is not well established in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in the recent era. Phenotypic patterns were determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) of pathological samples from patients with HIV-associated DLBCL prospectively enrolled in the French AIDS and Viral Hepatitis CO16 Lymphovir cohort between 2008 and 2015. Molecular subgroup classification into germinal centre B-cell (GCB) and non-GCB subtypes was determined using the Hans algorithm. Among 52 samples of systemic DLBCL subjected to centralized pathological analysis, 25 of the 42 tested for BCL2 expression were positive. Samples were further classified into GCB (n = 19) and non-GCB (n = 16) subtypes and 17 remained unclassified. In multivariable analysis, BCL2 expression was an independent pejorative prognostic biomarker [4-year progression-free survival (PFS): 52% for BCL2+ vs. 88% for BCL2- , P = 0·02] and tended to reduce 4-year overall survival (OS) (63% for BCL2+ vs. 88% for BCL2- , P = 0·06). The difference between CGB and non-GCB subtypes on PFS and OS did not reach significance (4-year PFS: 79% for GCB vs. 53% for non-GCB, P = 0·24 and 4-year OS: 78% for GCB vs. 69% for non-GCB, P = 0·34). BCL2 expression determined by IHC is an independent pejorative prognostic biomarker in HIV-associated DLBCL in the recent era. This supports the investigation of new therapeutic strategies in patients with BCL2 expression

Rituximab and dose-dense chemotherapy for adults with Burkitt's lymphoma: a randomised, controlled, open-label, phase 3 trial

International audienceBackground: Short intensive chemotherapy is the standard of care for adult patients with Burkitt's leukaemia or lymphoma. Findings from single-arm studies suggest that addition of rituximab to these regimens could improve patient outcomes. Our objective was to test this possibility in a randomised trial. Methods In this randomised, controlled, open-label, phase 3 trial, we recruited patients older than 18 years with untreated HIV-negative Burkitt's lymphoma (including Burkitt's leukaemia) from 45 haematological centres in France. Exclusion criteria were contraindications to any drug included in the chemotherapy regimens, any serious comorbidity, poor renal (creatinine concentration >150 μmol/L) or hepatic (cirrhosis or previous hepatitis B or C) function, pregnancy, and any history of cancer except for non-melanoma skin tumours or stage 0 (in situ) cervical carcinoma. Patients were stratified into two groups based on disease extension (absence [group B] or presence [group C] of bone marrow or central nervous system involvement). Patients were further stratified in group C according to age (60 years) and central nervous system involvement. Participants were randomly assigned in each group to either intravenous rituximab injections and chemotherapy (lymphome malin B [LMB]) or chemotherapy alone by the Groupe d'Etude des Lymphomes de l'Adulte datacentre. Randomisation was stratified by treatment group and centre using computer-assisted permuted-block randomisation (block size of four; allocation ratio 1:1). We gave rituximab (375 mg/m2) on day 1 and day 6 during the first two courses of chemotherapy (total of four infusions). The primary endpoint is 3 year event-free survival (EFS). We analysed all patients who had data available according to their originally assigned group. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00180882. Results Between Oct 14, 2004, and Sept 7, 2010, we randomly allocated 260 patients to rituximab or no rituximab (group B 124 patients [64 no rituximab; 60 rituximab]; group C 136 patients [66 no rituximab; 70 rituximab]). With a median follow-up of 38 months (IQR 24–59), patients in the rituximab group achieved better 3 year EFS (75% [95% CI 66–82]) than did those in the no rituximab group (62% [53–70]; log-rank p stratified by treatment group=0·024). The hazard ratio estimated with a Cox model stratified by treatment group, assuming proportionality, was 0·59 for EFS (95% CI 0·38–0·94; p=0·025). Adverse events did not differ between the two treatment groups. The most common adverse events were infectious (grade 3–4 in 137 [17%] treatment cycles in the rituximab group vs 115 [15%] in the no rituximab group) and haematological (mean duration of grade 4 neutropenia of 3·31 days per cycle [95% CI 3·01–3·61] vs 3·38 days per cycle [3·05–3·70]) events. Interpretation Addition of rituximab to a short intensive chemotherapy programme improves EFS in adults with Burkitt's leukaemia or lymphoma. Funding Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Roche, Chugai, Sanof

Targeting netrin-1/DCC interaction in diffuse large B-cell and mantle cell lymphomas

International audienceDCC (Deleted in Colorectal Carcinoma) has been demonstrated to constrain tumor progression by inducing apoptosis unless engaged by its ligand netrin-1. This has been shown in breast and colorectal cancers; however, this tumor suppressive function in other cancers is not established. Using a transgenic mouse model, we report here that inhibition of DCC-induced apoptosis is associated with lymphomagenesis. In human diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), an imbalance of the netrin-1/DCC ratio suggests a loss of DCC-induced apoptosis, either via a decrease in DCC expression in germinal center subtype or by up-regulation of netrin-1 in activated B-cell (ABC) one. Such imbalance is also observed in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Using a netrin-1 interfering antibody, we demonstrate both in vitro and in vivo that netrin-1 acts as a survival factor for ABC-DLBCL and MCL tumor cells. Together, these data suggest that interference with the netrin-1/DCC interaction could represent a promising therapeutic strategy in netrin-1-positive DLBCL and MC