title: [Clinical significance of dynamic monitoring of thymic recent output function in different stages of treatment in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To detect the changes of naive T cell level of thymic recent output at different stages of treatment in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), thereby to evaluate the relationship of thymic recent output function with prognosis and the impact of chemotherapy on the potential of immunological recovery.
  
  
  METHODS
  The levels of T-cell receptor rearrangement excision circles (TREC) in DNA of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) from 30 DLBCL patients were monitored before, during, until 3 months and 6 months after chemotherapy by real-time PCR (TaqMan), and TREC-level was detected according to the number of CD3 positive(CD3(+)) cells. Twelve normal individuals who matched in age were served as controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a dramatic reduction of TREC values in all DLBCL patients among which TREC values in germinal center B-cell-like-DLBCL (GCB-DLBCL) were higher than those in non-GCB-DLBCL, as compared with TREC values of normal individual in peripheral blood. The mean values of TREC were 0.91 ± 0.15/1000 PBMNCs and (1.22 ± 0.69)/1000 CD3(+) cells in GCB-DLBCL, (0.43 ± 0.29)/1000 PBMNCs and (0.64 ± 0.44)/1000 CD3(+) cells in non-GCB-DLBCL before chemotherapy. TREC values were significantly associated with lower international prognostic index (IPI) grade (r = -0.441, P = 0.015). TREC-level in DLBCL patients was further decreased after chemotherapy, and reached to the lowest level after the 6th cycle of chemotherapy, and during the corresponding period, the mean values of TREC were (0.63 ± 0.34)/1000 PBMNCs and (0.89 ± 0.65)/1000 CD3(+)cells in GCB-DLBCL, (0.19 ± 0.11)/1000 PBMNCs and (0.27 ± 0.25)/1000 CD3(+) cells in non-GCB-DLBCL. TREC-level began to rise obviously 3 months after the last cycle of chemotherapy in most of the DLBCL patients, and came close to normal level in five cases of patients 6 months after the last cycle of chemotherapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Thymic recent output function was impaired severely in DLBCL patients. There was an important relationship between thymic recent output function before chemotherapy and prognosis, and chemotherapy had influenced the potential of immunological recovery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, China.
authors.forename: Qing-song
authors.initials: QS
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Xu-dong
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Xiao-jiao
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Rui-hua
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Mi
authors.forename: Xiao-dong
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Lü
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hui-fang
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yu-fu
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yong-ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Song
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D015329:Gene Rearrangement, T-Lymphocyte; D018858:Germinal Center / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D016403:Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000276:immunology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell