Abstract

Background: : Clinical outcome in patients with diffuse large B cell lymphomas (DLBCL) is highly variable and poorly predictable. Microarray studies showed that patients with DLBCL with a germinal centre B cell-like (GCB) phenotype have a better prognosis than those with an activated B cell-like (ABC) phenotype. The BMI1 proto-oncogene was identified as one of the genes present in the signature of the ABC type of DLBCL, associated with a poor prognosis.

Objectives: : (1) To investigate, in primary nodal DLBCL, the expression of BMI1 and its association with clinical outcome and DLBCL signature; (2) to look for an association between BMI1 expression and the expression of its putative downstream targets p14ARF and p16INK4a.

Results: : BMI1 expression was found to be associated with poor clinical outcome, but not clearly with an ABC-like phenotype of DLBCL. Expression of BMI1 was frequently, but not always, related to low levels of expression of p14ARF and p16INK4a.

Conclusion: : Expression of BMI1 is associated with an unfavourable clinical outcome of primary nodal DLBCL.