title: Prognostic significance of bcl-xL gene expression and apoptotic cell counts in follicular lymphoma.
abstract: bcl-xL, a member of the Bcl-2 family, exerts an antiapoptotic effect on lymphocytes. To assess its clinical significance in patients with follicular lymphoma, realtime quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of bcl-xL gene expression was investigated in whole lymph node sections and laser-microdissected lymphoma cells of 27 patients. Compared with 10 patients with reactive follicular hyperplasia, the bcl-xL gene was overexpressed in patients with follicular lymphoma at a higher level in microdissected lymphoma cells. The bcl-xL gene level correlated with the number of apoptotic lymphoma cells labeled by terminal deoxytransferase-catalyzed DNA nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assays (r = -0.7736). Clinically, a high bcl-xL level was significantly associated with multiple sites of extranodal involvement (P =.0020), elevated lactate dehydrogenase level (P =.0478), and an International Prognostic Index indicating high risk (P =.0235). Moreover, bcl-xL gene overexpression was linked to short overall survival times (P =.0129). The value of bcl-xL gene expression as a prognostic marker in follicular lymphoma should thus be considered.
authors.affiliation: ERM-0220, Institut Universitaire d'Hématologie, Université Paris VII, Hôpital Saint-Louis, 1 Avenue Claude Vellefaux, 75475 Paris Cedex 10, France.
authors.forename: Wei-Li
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Marjan Ertault
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Daneshpouy
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mounier
authors.forename: Josette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brière
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leboeuf
authors.forename: Louis-François
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Plassa
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Turpin
authors.forename: Jean-Michel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cayuela
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Ameisen
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gisselbrecht
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Janin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008224:Lymphoma, Follicular / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000235:genetics*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D051020:bcl-X Protein
chemical_list: C494811:BCL2L1 protein, human; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051020:bcl-X Protein