Coexpression of CD 5 and CD 43 predicts worse prognosis in diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma

Both CD 5 and CD 43 are expressed on the surface of B lymphocytes of definite phase and associated with the adverse outcome in diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma ( DLBCL ). However, the relationship between CD 5 and CD 43 expression and the prognostic value of CD 5/ CD 43 coexpression in DLBCL are unknown. We herein determined the correlation between CD 5 and CD 43 expression, as separate factors or in combination, with the clinicopathological features and survival of 200 patients with DLBCL receiving standard chemotherapy with or without rituximab. Among these DLBCL patients, CD 5 expression, CD 43 expression, and CD 5/ CD 43 coexpression were detected in 18 (9%), 57 (27%), and 10 (5%) patients, respectively, and all were positively correlated with advanced age and nongerminal cell type. CD 5‐positive and CD 43‐positive DLBCL patients had poorer event‐free survival ( EFS , P  < 0.001) and overall survival ( OS , P  < 0.001) than CD 5‐negative and CD 43‐negative patients, respectively. CD 5/ CD 43 coexpression was correlated with a significantly worse prognosis than CD 5 or CD 43 expression alone. Univariate analysis showed that CD 5 expression, CD 43 expression, and CD 5/ CD 43 coexpression were all adverse prognostic factors for DLBCL patient survival, and CD 5/ CD 43 coexpression was associated with a greater relative risk for recurrence and death than either CD 5 or CD 43 expression alone. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that CD 5/ CD 43 coexpression was an independent prognostic factor for EFS ( P  < 0.001) and OS ( P  < 0.001) in DLBCL . In conclusion, our data indicate that DLBCL patients with CD 5/ CD 43 coexpression represent a specific subgroup with a significantly worse prognosis than those expressing either marker alone.