title: Genetic polymorphisms of STAT3 correlated with prognosis in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients treated with rituximab.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rituximab in the combination of CHOP chemotherapy has been widely used as the standard treatment for several kinds of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL). Inactivation of phosphorylation of STAT3 plays an essential role in rituximab-induced anti-proliferative activity in B-cell lymphoma. However, the relationship between STAT3 genetic polymorphisms and clinical response to standard frontline treatment with rituximab has not been well illustrated yet.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study we analyzed the STAT3 polymorphisms and prognosis of 166 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients who were treated with rituximab from 2007 to 2010. Determination of the STAT3 polymorphisms of rs2293152 from genomic DNA was achieved by Sanger chain termination sequencing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We did not observe obvious correlation between patients' disease features and STAT3 polymorphisms, but patients with homozygous genotypes at rs2293162 showed a trend of higher CR rate than those with the heterozygous genotype, especially in non-GCB subgroup (p = 0.011). Furthermore, homozygous genotypes GG and CC also showed advantages of long-term survival compared with heterozygous genotype patients (p = 0.022).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that STAT3 polymorphisms could be a suitable biomarker related to clinical outcome of DLBCL patients treated with rituximab.
authors.affiliation: Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Lymphoma, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, No.52 Fucheng Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100142, China.|Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Guiyang Medical College, Guizhou Cancer Hospital, No.1 Beijing West Road, Yunyan District, Guiyang 550003, China.
authors.forename: Yunfei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Lymphoma, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, No.52 Fucheng Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100142, China.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine Oncology, Peking University First Hospital, No.8 Xishiku Street, Xicheng District, Beijing 100034, China.
authors.forename: Xuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Lymphoma, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, No.52 Fucheng Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100142, China.
authors.forename: Lixia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Lymphoma, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, No.52 Fucheng Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100142, China.
authors.forename: Lingyan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ping
authors.affiliation: Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Lymphoma, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, No.52 Fucheng Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100142, China.
authors.forename: Yuqin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Lymphoma, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, No.52 Fucheng Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100142, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu