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WT1 Overexpression Affecting Clinical Outcome in Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas and Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

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Pathology & Oncology Research

Abstract

The Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) gene has a complex role as a transcriptional regulator, acting as tumor suppressor or oncogene in different malignancies. The prognostic role of its overexpression has been well-studied in leukemias, especially acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but not in lymphomas. For the first time to our knowledge, we present a study demonstrating the correlation of WT1 expression and survival in various non-Hodgkin lymphomas. We also studied the prognostic implications of WT1 overexpression in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In our sample of 53 patients—25 with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), 8 with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), 9 with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), 2 with Burkitt’s lymphoma, 2 with mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, and 7 with B-cell ALL—, we measured WT1 mRNA from blood samples by quantitative RT-PCR, and divided the patients into subgroups based on the level of expression. Kaplan–Meier survival curves were drawn and compared using the logrank test. In the sample of DLBCL patients, the difference in overall and disease-free survival between WT1-positive and negative subgroups was significant (p = 0.0475 and p = 0.0004, respectively), and in a few observed cases, a sudden increase in WT1 expression signified a relapse soon followed by death. Disease-free survival curves in MCL and ALL were similarly suggestive of a potential role played by WT1. In PTCL, though WT1-positivity was detected in 4 out of 9 cases, it did not seem to affect survival. The few cases of MALT and Burkitt’s lymphoma all proved to be WT1-negative.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Social Renewal Operational Programme of Hungary.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Internal Medicine, Division of Haematology, University of Debrecen, Nagyerdei krt. 98, 4032, Debrecen, Hungary

    Zsófia Ujj, Miklós Udvardy & László Rejtő

  2. Department of Human Genetics, University of Debrecen, Nagyerdei krt. 98, 4032, Debrecen, Hungary

    Gergely Buglyó, György Vargha & Sándor Biró

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  1. Zsófia Ujj
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  2. Gergely Buglyó
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  3. Miklós Udvardy
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  4. György Vargha
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  6. László Rejtő
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Correspondence to Gergely Buglyó.

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Zsófia Ujj and Gergely Buglyó contributed equally to this work.

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Ujj, Z., Buglyó, G., Udvardy, M. et al. WT1 Overexpression Affecting Clinical Outcome in Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas and Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Pathol. Oncol. Res. 20, 565–570 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12253-013-9729-7

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