Expression of MUM1/IRF4 correlates with clinical outcome in patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia

In this study, we evaluated the prognostic significance of multiple myeloma-1/interferon regulatory factor-4 (MUM1/IRF4) expression in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). Our results demonstrated that the absence of MUM1/IRF4 expression showed the highest relative risk among the factors analyzed in determining the probability for death in patients with B-CLL using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis. Patients without MUM1/IRF4 expression had significantly worse overall survival than did those with MUM1/IRF4 expression (52% cumulative survival, 63 months vs not reached, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis; P < .03, log-rank test). Patients with MUM1/IRF4 expression were more likely to have disease at low Rai stage and interstitial/nodular marrow involvement. Furthermore, only 1 of 11 patients with MUM1/IRF4 expression and interstitial/nodular marrow involvement died during a 100-month follow-up. Our results suggest that B-CLL with expression of MUM1/IRF4, indicative of postgerminal center origin, has a more favorable clinical course and that MUM1/IRF4 is an important prognostic marker in B-CLL.