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Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma outcome prediction by gene-expression profiling and supervised machine learning

Abstract

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common lymphoid malignancy in adults, is curable in less than 50% of patients. Prognostic models based on pre-treatment characteristics, such as the International Prognostic Index (IPI), are currently used to predict outcome in DLBCL. However, clinical outcome models identify neither the molecular basis of clinical heterogeneity, nor specific therapeutic targets. We analyzed the expression of 6,817 genes in diagnostic tumor specimens from DLBCL patients who received cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine and prednisone (CHOP)-based chemotherapy, and applied a supervised learning prediction method to identify cured versus fatal or refractory disease. The algorithm classified two categories of patients with very different five-year overall survival rates (70% versus 12%). The model also effectively delineated patients within specific IPI risk categories who were likely to be cured or to die of their disease. Genes implicated in DLBCL outcome included some that regulate responses to B-cell–receptor signaling, critical serine/threonine phosphorylation pathways and apoptosis. Our data indicate that supervised learning classification techniques can predict outcome in DLBCL and identify rational targets for intervention.

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Figure 1: Expression profiles of DLBCLs and FLs.
Figure 2: Expression profiles of cured and fatal/refractory DLBCLs.
Figure 3: Genes included in the DLBCL outcome model.
Figure 4: Overall survival predictions for DLBCL study patients.
Figure 5: Predictive value of GC-B-cell and activated B-cell signatures.
Figure 6: Immunohistochemical staining for PKC-β.

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Acknowledgements

We thank members of the Center for Genome Research and members of the Shipp and Aster laboratories for technical assistance and helpful comments. This work was supported in part by grants from Bristol–Myers Squibb, Millennium Pharmaceuticals and Affymetrix (E.S.L.).

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Correspondence to Margaret A. Shipp or Todd R. Golub.

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Shipp, M., Ross, K., Tamayo, P. et al. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma outcome prediction by gene-expression profiling and supervised machine learning. Nat Med 8, 68–74 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0102-68

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