Introduction
Direct Antiglobulin Test (DAT) positivity occurs at higher rates in patients with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. This study examined the genetic differences between DAT positive (DAT +) and DAT negative (DAT-) DLBCL cases, and the effect of DAT positivity on survival and revised international prognostic index (R-IPI) in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL).
Method
One hundred and thirteen cases that had undergone DAT testing at the time of DLBCL diagnosis were included. DNA was extracted from 7 DAT+ and 8 DAT- patient samples and targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) was performed. Analysis of survival outcomes was assessed by the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards regression.
Results
An average of 10.07 mutations per DLBCL clone were found on NGS (DAT+ 10.14 vs DAT-10.00). Mutations were found in genes and B-cell pathways associated with oncogenesis and autoimmunity in both DAT+ and DAT- groups. The most recurrently mutated genes were KMT2D (n=13), MYOM2 (n=9), and EP300 (n=8), which were all mutated in both groups. The genes associated with the non-canonical NFκB pathway were found to be more frequently mutated in the DAT+ group, with 6 mutations in the DAT+ group compared with 1 mutation found in the DAT- group.
There was a non-significant difference in overall survival between the DAT+ and DAT- groups (p=0.19). DAT significantly influenced the effect of R-IPI on survival (p=0.017). Within the DAT- group, R-IPI maintained its strong predictive power for overall survival (p<0.0001). Within the DAT+ group, the two represented R-IPI groups were not significantly different in their overall survival (p=0.74).
Conclusion
Both DAT positive and DAT negative patient groups showed high rates of non-synonymous mutations in genes that are frequently targeted in DLBCL. This study did not demonstrate a significant effect on survival of DAT positivity in patients with DLBCL, but a moderating influence on R-IPI’s survival effect.