Prediction of Survival in Diffuse Large-B-Cell Lymphoma Based on the Expression of Six Genes

The expression of 36 genes that have been linked to the outcomes in diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma was studied with the use of real-time polymerase chain reaction in biopsy specimens of the lymphoma. The pattern of expression of a group of 6 of the 36 genes correlated significantly with survival. The pattern of expression of a group of 6 of the 36 genes correlated with survival. The most common type of lymphoma in adults, diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma, has an annual incidence in the United States of more than 25,000 cases and accounts for 30 to 40 percent of cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. 1 Combination chemotherapy has transformed diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma from a universally fatal disease to a potentially curable one, but less than half of all patients are cured. 2 The International Prognostic Index (IPI), a well-established predictor of outcome in diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma, is based on five clinical characteristics (age, tumor stage, serum lactate dehydrogenase concentration, performance status, and number of extranodal disease sites). 3 However, the outcome . . .