| 1. |
- Englund, Annika, et al.
(author)
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Hodgkin lymphoma in children, adolescents and young adults - a comparative study of clinical presentation and treatment outcome.
- 2018
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In: Acta Oncologica. - 0284-186X .- 1651-226X. ; 57:2, s. 276-282
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) treatment protocols for children, adolescents and young adults traditionally differ, but the biological and clinical justification for this remains uncertain.Material and methods: We compared age-dependent clinical presentation and treatment and outcome for 1072 classical HL patients 0–24 years diagnosed in Denmark (1990–2010) and Sweden (1992–2009) in pediatric (n = 315, Denmark <15 years, Sweden <18 years) or adult departments (n = 757). Distribution of clinical characteristics was assessed with Pearson’s chi2-test and Mantel–Haenszel trend test. The Kaplan–Meier method was used for survival analyses. Hazard ratios (HR) were used to compare the different treatment groups and calculated using Cox regression.Results: Children (0–9 years) less often presented with advanced disease than adolescents (10–17 years) and young adults (18–24 years) (stage IIB-IV: children 32% vs. adolescents 50%, and adults 55%; p < .005). No variation in overall survival (OS) was seen between pediatric and adult departments or by country. Danish pediatric patients received radiotherapy (36%) less frequently than Swedish pediatric patients (71%) (p < .0001). Ten-year event-free survival (EFS) was lower among Danish pediatric patients (0–14 years) (0.79; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.70–0.86) than among Swedish pediatric patients (0–17 years) (0.88; 95% CI 0.83–0.92), HR (1.93; 95% CI 1.08–3.46). A similar pattern was seen between adult patients in the two countries: Denmark 10-year EFS 0.85 (95% CI 0.81–0.88), Sweden 0.88 (95% CI 0.84–0.91), adjusted HR 1.51 (95% CI 1.03–2.22).Conclusion: Adolescents and young adults shared similar clinical presentation suggesting a rationale of harmonized treatment for these groups. Both adult and pediatric protocols provided high OS with no significant difference between the departments. The less frequent use of radiotherapy in Danish pediatric patients corresponded to a lower EFS, but comparable OS in all groups confirmed effective rescue strategies for the relapsing patients.
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| 4. |
- Glimelius, Ingrid, 1975-, et al.
(author)
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Distribution of hospital care among pediatric and young adult Hodgkin lymphoma survivors : A population-based cohort study from Sweden and Denmark
- 2019
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In: Cancer Medicine. - : Wiley. - 2045-7634. ; 8:10, s. 4918-4927
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The burden of late effects among Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survivors treated according to contemporary protocols remains poorly characterized. We used nation-wide registers to assess number of inpatient bed-days and specialist outpatient visits among 1048 HL-patients (<25 years, diagnosed 1990-2010) and 5175 country-, sex-, and age-matched comparators. We followed them for up to 24 years, with time-dependent assessment of relapse status. International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) chapter-specific hazard ratios (HRs) were assessed in Cox regression analyses, and nonparametric statistics described patterns of health-care-use. Relative to comparators, relapse-free survivors were at increased risk of infections, diseases of the blood, endocrine, circulatory and respiratory systems, and unspecific symptoms, HRs ranging from 1.86 to 3.05. Relative to comparators, relapsed survivors had at statistically significantly increased risk of diseases reflecting practically all investigated disease-chapters, HRs ranging from 1.60 to 18.7. Among relapse-free survivors, 10% of the patients accounted for 80% of all hospital bed days, and 55% were never hospitalized during follow-up. Among relapsed-survivors, 10% of the patients accounted for 50% of the bed days, and only 24% were never hospitalized during follow-up. In contrast, 10% of the comparators accounted for 90% of hospital bed days and 75% were never hospitalized. These findings challenge the impression of a uniformly distributed long-term morbidity among all HL survivors and emphasize the need for early identification and attention to patients particularly susceptible to late effects, such as relapsed survivors.
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| 5. |
- Hollander, Peter, et al.
(author)
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An anergic immune signature in the tumor microenvironment of classical Hodgkin lymphoma is associated with inferior outcome
- 2018
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In: European Journal of Haematology. - : Wiley. - 0902-4441 .- 1600-0609. ; 100:1, s. 88-97
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: The classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) tumor microenvironment shows anongoing inflammatory response consisting of varying degrees of infiltrating eosinophils,mast cells, macrophages, regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs), and activated lymphocytes surrounding the malignant cells. Herein, different immune signatures are characterized and correlated with treatment outcome.Methods: Tumor-infiltrating leukocytes were phenotyped in biopsies from 459 patients with cHL. Time to progression (TTP) (primary progression, relapse, or death from cHL) and overall survival were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards regression.Results: The leukocyte infiltration in the microenvironment was highly diverse between patients and was categorized in 4 immune signatures (active, anergic, innate, or mixed). A high proportion of Tregs (anergic) resulted in shorter TTP (median 12.9-year follow-up) in age-adjusted analyses (hazard ratio = 1.82; 95% confidence interval 1.05-3-15). Epstein-Barrvirus (EBV)-positive cases had higher proportions of macrophages and activated lymphocytes than EBV negative, but neither of those leukocytes predicted prognosis.Conclusions: Abundant Tregs (anergic signature) indicate a shorter TTP, particularly in younger patients. This is probably due to a reduced ability of the immune system to attack the tumor cells. Our data warrant further investigation if these suggested immune signatures could predict outcome of immunotherapy such as immune checkpoint inhibitors.
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| 6. |
- Hollander, Peter, et al.
(author)
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Autoimmune and Atopic Disorders and Risk of Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma
- 2015
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In: American Journal of Epidemiology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0002-9262 .- 1476-6256. ; 182:7, s. 624-632
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Results from previous investigations have shown associations between the risk of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and a history of autoimmune and atopic diseases, but it remains unknown whether these associations apply to all types of HL or only to specific subtypes. We investigated immune diseases and the risk of classical HL in a population-based case-control study that included 585 patients and 3,187 controls recruited from October 1999 through August 2002. We collected information on immune diseases through telephone interviews and performed serological analyses of specific immunoglobulin E reactivity. Tumor Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) status was determined for 498 patients. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated using logistic regression analysis. Rheumatoid arthritis was associated with a higher risk of HL (odds ratio (OR) = 2.63; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.47, 4.70), especially EBV-positive HL (OR = 3.18; 95% CI: 1.23, 8.17), and with mixed-cellularity HL (OR = 4.25; 95% CI: 1.66, 10.90). HL risk was higher when we used proxies of severe rheumatoid arthritis, such as ever having received daily rheumatoid arthritis medication (OR = 3.98; 95% CI: 2.08, 7.62), rheumatoid arthritis duration of 6-20 years (OR = 3.80; 95% CI: 1.72, 8.41), or ever having been hospitalized for rheumatoid arthritis (OR = 7.36; 95% CI: 2.95, 18.38). Atopic diseases were not associated with the risk of HL. EBV replication induced by chronic inflammation in patients with autoimmune diseases might explain the higher risk of EBV-positive HL.
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| 7. |
- Abu Sabaa, Amal
(author)
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Clinical and Molecular Studies of Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma
- 2023
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The general aim of this thesis was to study the prognostic clinical and biological markers of Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL).Paper I: Utilizing population-based data for patients with DLBCL in Sweden, the study aimed to establish whether event free survival at 24 months (EFS24) was a reproducible milestone. The disease-free survival for lymphoma patients was compared with that of age and sex matched Swedish general population. We demonstrated that overall survival was similar to age and sex matched general population only for younger patients (<60 years of age) achieving ES24. Patients older than that had worse prognosis. Death was mainly linked to cardiovascular disease and secondary malignancies.Paper II: Plasma samples collected via the bio bank U-CAN were analyzed using multiplex extension assay (PEA) utilizing preselected protein panels to examine the possibility of distinguishing lymphomas, leukemias and controls. The study confirmed that PEA technology could be used not only to effectively screen for large number of plasma protein biomarkers in low plasma sample volumes (1 µL), but even to discriminate between controls and different haematological malignancies. Paper III: Plasma protein pattern evolution in DLBCL patients was highlighted by PEA analysis of plasma proteins at different time points under treatment with Rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP). Significant distinctions in protein patterns at diagnosis compared to controls and striking differences in protein levels before and after treatment in patient who responded to treatment were evident. The three top proteins were TCL1A, CXCL13 and IL2RA. Paper IV: An interesting protein that emerged from the above studies was TCL1A. This plasma protein was analyzed in plasma samples by PEA. Validation by plasma enzyme immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was attempted. The cytoplasm and nucleus bound form of TCL1A were analyzed with the help of immunohistochemistry in tissue microarray samples. The study included 178 patients of which 125 received R-CHOP. Clinical risk factor analysis showed no significant correlation with tissue IHC. Significantly higher levels of plasma TCL1A were seen in male patients (measured by ELISA and PEA) and in patients with Ann Arbor stages II-IV (measured by PEA). Survival analysis showed no statistical significance.
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| 9. |
- Biccler, Jorne Lionel, et al.
(author)
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Relapse Risk and Loss of Lifetime After Modern Combined Modality Treatment of Young Patients With Hodgkin Lymphoma : A Nordic Lymphoma Epidemiology Group Study
- 2019
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In: Journal of Clinical Oncology. - : AMER SOC CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. - 0732-183X .- 1527-7755. ; 37:9, s. 703-713
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- PURPOSE: Estimates of short- and long-term survival for young patients with classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) are of considerable interest. We investigated cHL prognosis in the era of contemporary treatment at different milestones during the follow-up.PATIENTS AND METHODS: On the basis of a Nordic cohort of 2,582 patients diagnosed at ages 18 to 49 years between 2000 and 2013, 5-year relapse risks and 5-year restricted losses in expectation of lifetime were estimated for all patients and for patients who achieved event-free survival (EFS) for 12 (EFS12), 24 (EFS24), 36 (EFS36) or 60 (EFS60) months. The median follow-up time was 9 years (range, 2.9 to 16.8 years).RESULTS: The 5-year overall survival was 95% (95% CI, 94% to 96%). The 5-year risk of relapse was 13.4% (95% CI, 12.1% to 14.8%) overall but decreased to 4.2% (95% CI, 3.8% to 4.6%) given that patients reached EFS24. Relapse risk for patients treated with six to eight courses of bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (BEACOPP) was comparable to that of patients treated with six to eight courses of doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) despite more adverse risk criteria among patients treated with BEACOPP. Both from diagnosis and if EFS24 was reached, the losses in expectation of lifetime during the following 5 years were small (from diagnosis, 45 days [95% CI, 35 to 54 days] and for patients who reached EFS24, 13 days [95% CI, 7 to 20 days]). In stage-stratified analyses of 5-year restricted loss in expectation of lifetime, patients with stages I to IIA disease had no noteworthy excess risk of death after they reached EFS24, whereas risk remained measurable for patients with stages IIB to IV cHL.CONCLUSION: Real-world data on young patients with cHL from the Nordic countries show excellent outcomes. The outlook is particularly favorable for patients who reach EFS24, which supports limited relapse-oriented clinical follow-up.
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| 10. |
- Biccler, Jorne, et al.
(author)
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Simplicity at the cost of predictive accuracy in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma : A critical assessment of the R-IPI, IPI, and NCCN-IPI
- 2018
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In: Cancer Medicine. - : Wiley. - 2045-7634. ; 7:1, s. 114-122
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The international prognostic index (IPI) and similar models form the cornerstone of clinical assessment in newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). While being simple and convenient to use, their inadequate use of the available clinical data is a major weakness. In this study, we compared performance of the International Prognostic Index (IPI) and its variations (R-IPI and NCCN-IPI) to a Cox proportional hazards (CPH) model using the same covariates in nondichotomized form. All models were tested in 4863 newly diagnosed DLBCL patients from population-based Nordic registers. The CPH model led to a substantial increase in predictive accuracy as compared to conventional prognostic scores when evaluated by the area under the curve and other relevant tests. Furthermore, the generation of patient-specific survival curves rather than assigning patients to one of few predefined risk groups is a relevant step toward personalized management and treatment. A test-version is available on lymphomapredictor.org.
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| 11. |
- Callréus, Torbjörn, et al.
(author)
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Monitoring CAR-T-Cell Therapies Using the Nordic Healthcare Databases
- 2019
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In: Pharmaceutical Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1178-2595 .- 1179-1993. ; 33:2, s. 83-88
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Following intense research efforts, modulation of the immune system has finally proved to be a viable approach for treating malignant disease. Recently, chimeric antigen receptor redirected T cells have achieved promising outcomes in patients with B-cell malignancies and they are currently also being investigated in other haematological malignancies, solid tumours and viral infections. Compared with traditional biopharmaceuticals, the properties of genetically modified chimeric antigen receptor redirected T-cell therapies differ in many aspects, thereby posing challenges in terms of post-authorisation data collection and data analysis. We believe that the network of population-based Nordic healthcare databases has some characteristics that can help provide important data on these new types of advanced products. In particular, the possibility of very long follow-up periods with a limited loss to follow-up is an important strength. Given the limited source population and slow access to data, a Nordic chimeric antigen receptor redirected T-cell monitoring project should be seen as complementary to other surveillance initiatives.
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| 12. |
- Cederleuf, Henrik, et al.
(author)
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Outcome of peripheral T-cell lymphoma in first complete remission : a Danish-Swedish population-based study
- 2017
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In: Leukemia and Lymphoma. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1042-8194 .- 1029-2403. ; 58:12, s. 2815-2823
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In the present study, we investigate the outcome of 109 Danish and 123 Swedish patients with nodal PTCL in first complete remission (CR), and examine the impact of imaging-based follow-up (FU) strategies. The patients were selected by the following criteria: (a) newly diagnosed nodal PTCL from 2007 to 2012, (b) age ≥18 years, and (c) CR after CHOP or CHOEP therapy. FU guidelines in Sweden included symptom assessment, clinical examinations and blood tests at 3–4-month intervals for 2 years. FU strategies in Denmark was similar but included routine imaging, usually every 6 months for 2 years. Patients had fully comparable characteristics. Overall survival (OS) estimates for patients in CR were similar for all patients (p =.6) and in PTCL subtypes. In multivariate analysis, country of follow-up had no impact on OS. However, despite continuous CR for ≥2 years, the OS of PTCL remained inferior to a matched general population.
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| 19. |
- Jakobsen, Lasse H, et al.
(author)
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No survival benefit associated with routine surveillance imaging for Hodgkin lymphoma in first remission : a Danish-Swedish population-based observational study
- 2016
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In: British Journal of Haematology. - : Wiley. - 0007-1048 .- 1365-2141. ; 173:2, s. 236-244
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The use of routine imaging for patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) in complete remission (CR) is controversial. In a population-based study, we examined the post-remission survival of Danish and Swedish HL patients for whom follow-up practices were different. Follow-up in Denmark included routine imaging, usually for a minimum of 2 years, whereas clinical follow-up without routine imaging was standard in Sweden. A total of 317 Danish and 454 Swedish comparable HL patients aged 18-65 years, diagnosed in the period 2007-2012 and having achieved CR following ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine)/BEACOPP (bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, prednisone) therapy, were included in the study. The cumulative progression rates in the first 2 years were 4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1-7) for patients with stage I-II disease vs. 12% (95% CI 6-18) for patients with stage III-IV disease. An imaging-based follow-up practice was not associated with a better post-remission survival in general (P = 0·2) or in stage-specific subgroups (P = 0·5 for I-II and P = 0·4 for III-IV). Age ≥45 years was the only independent adverse prognostic factor for survival. In conclusion, relapse of HL patients with CR is infrequent and systematic use of routine imaging in these patients does not improve post-remission survival. The present study supports clinical follow-up without routine imaging, as encouraged by the recent Lugano classification.
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| 23. |
- Kolstad, Arne, et al.
(author)
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Nordic MCL-3 study : 90Y-ibritumomab-tiuxetan added to BEAM/C in non-CR patients before transplant in mantle cell lymphoma
- 2014
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In: Blood. - : American Society of Hematology. - 0006-4971 .- 1528-0020. ; 123:19, s. 2953-2959
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The main objective of the MCL3 study was to improve outcome for patients not in CR before transplant by adding (90)Y-ibritumomab-tiuxetan (Zevalin) to the high-dose regimen. 160 consecutive, untreated stage II-IV MCL patients < 66 years received rituximab (R)- maxi-CHOP alternating with R-high-dose Ara-C (6 cycles total), followed by high-dose BEAM or BEAC and autologous stem cell transplantation 2005-2009. Zevalin (0.4 mCi/kg) was given to responders in only CRu/PR prior to high-dose therapy. The overall response rate (ORR) pre-transplant was 97%. After a median follow-up of 4.4 years the outcome did not differ from that of the historic control, the MCL2 trial with the same treatment except for Zevalin. Overall (OS), event free (EFS), and progression-free survival (PFS) at 4 years were 78, 62 and 71%, respectively. For patients in CRu/PR before transplant who received Zevalin duration of response was shorter than in the CR group. Inferior PFS, EFS- and OS were predicted by PET-positivity pre-transplant and detectable minimal residual disease (MRD) before and after transplant. In conclusion, a positive PET prior to transplant and MRD are strong predictors of outcome. Late intensification with Zevalin may be too late to improve the outcome of patients not in CR before transplant.
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| 24. |
- Mylam, Karen Juul, et al.
(author)
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F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography after one cycle of chemotherapy in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: results of a Nordic/US intergroup study
- 2015
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In: Leukemia & Lymphoma. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1042-8194 .- 1029-2403. ; 56:7, s. 2005-2012
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We evaluated the predictive value of interim positon emission tomography (I-PET) after one course of chemoimmunotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). One hundred and twelve patients with DLBCL were enrolled. All patients had PET/computed tomography (CT) scans performed after one course of chemotherapy (PET-1). I-PET scans were categorized according to International Harmonization Project criteria (IHP), Deauville 5-point scale (D 5PS) with scores 1-3 considered negative (D 5PS>3) and D 5PS with scores 1-4 considered negative (D 5PS = 5). Ratios of tumor maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) to liver SUVmax were also analyzed. We found no difference in progression-free survival (PFS) between PET-negative and PET-positive patients according to IHP and D 5PS>3. The 2-year PFS using D 5PS = 5 was 50.9% in the PET-positive group and 84.8% in the PET-negative group (p = 0.002). A tumor/liver SUVmax cut-off of 3.1 to distinguish D 5PS scores of 4 and 5 provided the best prognostic value. PET after one course of chemotherapy was not able to safely discriminate PET-positive and PET-negative patients in different prognostic groups.
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| 26. |
- Wahlin, Björn Engelbrekt, et al.
(author)
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T Cells in Tumors and Blood Predict Outcome in Follicular Lymphoma Treated with Rituximab
- 2011
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In: Clinical Cancer Research. - : American Association for Cancer Research. - 1078-0432 .- 1557-3265. ; 17:12, s. 4136-4144
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- PURPOSE: T cells influence outcome in follicular lymphoma, but their contributions seem to be modified by therapy. Their impact in patients receiving rituximab without chemotherapy is unknown. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Using flow cytometry, we evaluated the T cells in tumors and/or blood in a total of 250 follicular lymphoma patients included in two Nordic Lymphoma Group randomized trials that compared single rituximab with IFN-α2a-rituximab combinations. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, higher levels of CD3(+), CD4(+), and CD8(+) T cells in both tumors and blood correlated with superior treatment responses, and in multivariate analysis, tumor-CD3(+) (P = 0.011) and blood-CD4(+) (P = 0.029) cells were independent. CD4(+) cells were favorable regardless of treatment arm, but CD8(+) cells were favorable only in patients treated with single rituximab, because IFN-α2a improved responses especially in patients with low CD8(+) cell levels. Higher levels of blood-CD3(+) (P = 0.003) and blood-CD4(+) (P = 0.046) cells predicted longer overall survival, and higher levels of blood-CD8(+) cells longer times to next treatment (P = 0.046). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that therapeutic effects of rituximab are augmented by tumor-associated T cells for rapid responses and by systemic T cells for sustained responses. CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells are both favorable in patients treated with rituximab. IFN-α2a abrogates the negative impact of few CD8(+) cells.
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