title: Immunophenotypic profile and role of adhesion molecules in splenic marginal zone lymphoma with bone marrow involvement.
abstract: Splenic Marginal Zone Lymphoma (SMZL), with or without villous lymphocytes (VL+/-), is a low-grade lymphoproliferative disorder with constant involvement of the bone marrow (BM). Different BM infiltration patterns, mainly intra-sinusoidal, interstitial and nodular, have been described. Adhesion molecules (AMs) constitute a heterogeneous group of antigenic receptors playing a major role in leukocyte recruitment, in lymphocyte homing and in cellular-mediated immune response. Evolution and pattern of the BM infiltrate could be influenced by a variable expression of AM on SMZL lymphocytes. The degree and pattern of BM infiltration and the immunohistochemical expression of AM (H-CAM, BL-CAM, L-selectin, PSGL-1, E-selectin, ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and Beta-1 integrin) among the different infiltration patterns were evaluated in BM biopsies of 38 patients with SMZL and graded according to a semi-quantitative score ranging from 0-4 and based on the percentage of positive cells. An intra-sinusoidal infiltration was constantly observed, alone or in conjunction with other patterns. H-CAM and BL-CAM showed a moderate-to-high degree of positivity in the intra-sinusoidal infiltrate (median expression grade-3) and were expressed in the neoplastic lymphocytes independently from the pattern. PSGL-1 was mostly expressed in the perisinusoidal region and in case of interstitial infiltration (grade-2). ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 were selectively expressed in the nodules as a reticular meshwork located in the core region (grade-2); VCAM-1 was also expressed in the perinodular endothelia. E-selectin, L-selectin and beta-1 integrin proved constantly negative. These data suggest that different expression of AM can influence the modality of BM infiltration in SMZL.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Anatomia ed Istologia Patologica, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Italy. amflorena@unipa.it
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Florena
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tripodo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Porcasi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ingrao
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Fadda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Cantis
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Iannitto
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Franco
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013160:Splenic Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules