Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, has been categorized based on the cancer cell of origin as either activated B-cell (ABC) DLBCL or germinal center B-cell (GCB) DLBCL. Each subtype is associated with a certain degree of tumor vulnerability and a corresponding response to therapy.
The more that clinicians know about how a patient’s disease develops, the better equipped they are to devise an informed and precise treatment plan. Yet, between 10-20 percent of DLBCL cases are unclassified, providing little guidance for strategic intervention.
To shed light on the unclassified disease subtype and further define the composition of the ABC and GCB subtypes, the Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Lymphoma Program’s Dr. John P. Leonard took part in an international research initiative led by the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health, with findings recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Whereas prior studies of genetic subtyping investigated individual mutations, this research was among the first to examine how mutations in multiple genes may relate to disease pathogenesis and therapeutic response.
Researchers used next-generation sequencing technology to analyze nearly 600 DLBCL patient biopsy samples, contributed in part through the Lymphoma Program’s efforts in collaboration with the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. Based on the co-occurrence of genetic alterations that they observed, the team discovered four new genetic subtypes of DLBCL – MCD, BN2, N1 and EZB – enhancing science’s understanding of the genetic framework of this aggressive cancer.
“These findings will take us one step closer to potentially employing targeted agents as part of treatment for specific DLBCL subtypes,” says Dr. Leonard. “If we can specifically identify these lymphoma types and incorporate new agents that target relevant pathways, we will advance rational clinical trials with the aim to improve outcomes for patients based on the biology of their disease.”
