Open AccessEstimation of the relationship between caspase‐3 expression and clinical outcome of Burkitt's and Burkitt‐like lymphoma
Author(s) -
Nomura Yuko,
Yoshida Shiro,
Karube Kennosuke,
Takeshita Morishige,
Hirose Shinichi,
Nakamura Shigeo,
Yoshino Tadashi,
Kikuchi Masahiro,
Ohshima Koichi
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
cancer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.035
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1349-7006
pISSN - 1347-9032
DOI - 10.1111/j.1349-7006.2008.00851.x
Subject(s) - chop , lymphoma , caspase 3 , vincristine , immunohistochemistry , apoptosis , medicine , burkitt's lymphoma , staining , gastroenterology , immunology , chemotherapy , pathology , cyclophosphamide , biology , programmed cell death , biochemistry
Burkitt's lymphoma and atypical Burkitt/Burkitt‐like lymphoma (BL/BLL) are considered highly aggressive B‐cell lymphomas with a rapid proliferative rate and high rate of apoptosis. The aim of the present study was to confirm whether apoptotic and cell proliferative factors affect BL/BLL clinical outcomes. We retrospectively analyzed the relationship between the clinical and immunophenotypic features of 43 BL/BLL patients by immunohistochemical staining for bcl‐2 and double staining for Ki‐67 plus caspase‐3. In double staining experiments, all patients were divided into high and low groups for the expression of caspase‐3, Ki‐67, and both Ki‐67 and caspase‐3, by using the medians of their percentages as limits. The 43 BL/BLL patients were divided into high caspase‐3 ( n = 19) and low caspase‐3 ( n = 24) groups. There was a significant difference in the overall survival between the high (77%) and low caspase‐3 (33%) groups; the survival rate of patients in the low caspase‐3 group who received aggressive short‐term chemotherapy (58%) was significantly better than that of patients who received cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone (CHOP) therapy (17%). All patients positive for bcl‐2 were in the low caspase‐3 group (high caspase‐3 group, 0%; low caspase‐3 group, 42%). The overall survival tended to be better in the high caspase‐3 and bcl‐2‐negative group (76%) than in the low caspase‐3 and bcl‐2‐negative (50%) group. In addition, the low caspase‐3 and bcl‐2‐positive group tended to show the worst prognosis (16%). We suggest that caspase‐3 may function as an indicator of the prognosis of BL/BLL. Furthermore, intensive short‐term chemotherapeutic regimens may improve the prognosis of the patients in the low caspase‐3 group. ( Cancer Sci 2008; 99: 1564–1569)