Clinical significance of intracytoplasmic nm23-H1 expression in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
OBJECTIVE
Recently, we established an ELISA technique for measuring nm23-H1 protein in serum and found that the serum nm23-H1 level is a potential prognostic factor for patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.


METHODS
We used immunohistochemistry to examine the expression of nm23-H1 by the lymphoma cells in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).


RESULTS
By analyzing a consecutive series of 172 untreated DLBCL patients, we found that 100 (58.1%) were strongly positive. The cytoplasmic nm23 expression in lymphoma cells correlated significantly with the serum nm23-H1 level. There was a significant correlation between patients with cytoplasmic nm23-positive lymphoma and those with performance status 2-4, stage III/IV, bulky mass, B symptoms, elevated serum level of soluble interleukin 2 receptor, and elevated serum level of C-reactive protein. Overall and progression-free survival rates were significantly lower in patients with nm23-H1-positive lymphomas than in those with nm23-H1-negative lymphomas. Similar difference was seen between patients with high and low serum levels of nm23-H1. Thus, the correlation between presence or absence of cytoplasmic nm23-H1 expression and serum nm23-H1 levels suggests that serum nm23-H1 is produced directly by lymphoma cells.


CONCLUSIONS
We suggest that nm23-H1 expression is a prognostic factor for DLBCL, and that it is as important as serum nm23-H1, both of which are useful for planning a treatment strategy.
Niitsu
Nozomi
N
Department of Hematology and Internal Medicine IV, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan. nnitsu@med.kitasato-u.ac.jp
Nakamine
Hirokazu
H
Okamoto
Masataka
M
Akamatsu
Hiroko
H
Higashihara
Masaaki
M
Honma
Yoshio
Y
Okabe-Kado
Junko
J
Hirano
Masami
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D018450:Disease Progression; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000378:metabolism; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D016403:Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D054778:NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases; D009701:Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000502:physiology; D011379:Prognosis; D013997:Time Factors
D054778:NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; C517938:NME1 protein, human; D009701:Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase