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Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLDs) are potentially fatal, often Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-driven neoplasias developing in immunocompromised hosts. Initial treatment usually consists of a reduction in immunosuppressive therapy and/or rituximab with or without chemotherapy. However, patients who relapse do poorly, and new treatment options are warranted. With the introduction of the immunoconjugate brentuximab vedotin, the CD30 antigen has become an effectively targetable molecule. Therefore, we investigated the frequency and level of CD30 expression in PTLDs. We identified 108 patients with PTLDs diagnosed during 1994-2011, of whom 62 had adequate paraffin-embedded tissue for tissue microarray construction. Immunohistochemical expression of CD30 was consistently detected in all types of PTLD (overall 85.25%), including the monomorphic subtypes, and was correlated with a more favorable outcome. For diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)-type PTLD this was regardless of EBV status, and remained significant in multivariate analysis. Cell-of-origin had no independent prognostic value in our series of DLBCL PTLD.

Udgivelsesdato: 2000-Sep In order to survive, cells need tight control of cell cycle progression. The control mechanisms are often lost in human cancer cells. The cell cycle is driven forward by cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). The CDK inhibitors (CKIs) are important regulators of the CDKs. As the name implies, CKIs were initially shown to negatively regulate CDK activity. However, recent data indicates that the members of the Kip/Cip family of CKIs, including p27, exert both positive and negative regulation of CDK activity at the G1/S phase transition. Mutations of Kip/Cip genes are rare, but p27 knockout mice are tumor prone when challenged with carcinogenic stimuli. Numerous studies of various human non-hematological tumors have identified low expression of p27 as a predictor of poor prognosis. In non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), we and others have also shown the independent prognostic value of p27 expression. In distinct NHL entities however, shortened survival seems to correlate with high expression of p27. For definitive assessment of the role played by p27 in lymphomagenesis, and the prognostic value of p27 in these tumors, further studies of distinct NHL entities are needed. This review addresses the function of p27 and the other Kip/Cip proteins in G1/S phase transition and their possible role in tumorigenesis with emphasis on p27 and NHL.