The value of HLA phenotypes in the prognosis of Hodgkin's lymphoma

Abstract

The study included 52 patients with Hodgkin's disease, 32 males and 20 females, whose ages ranged from 3 to 36 years (34 under and 18 over 15 years). All patients were carefully staged, and lymph-node biopsies were taken for histopathological examination. HLA phenotype determinations were carried out, and the frequencies were statistically compared with those of normal Egyptian controls. We followed the patients for 3 years to monitor the effect of therapy. In order to determine the prognostic value of patients' characteristics (age, stage, histologic pattern and HLA phenotypes), statistical analysis and retrospective stratification studies were performed. The frequency of HLA-AI was significantly increased in our patients. The relative risk showed that persons carrying the AI antigen are 6 times more susceptible than those lacking it. There was no significant difference in the frequency of AI antigen in relation to the histopathologic subtypes. Furthermore, the results revealed a prognostic value of the HLA marker. In conclusion, we suggest that chemotherapy should be added to radiotherapy of marker-positive patients at any stage.

HLA-A*02 is associated with a reduced risk and HLA-A*01 with an increased risk of developing EBV+ Hodgkin lymphoma

“…Moreover, individuals homozygous for HLA-A*01 are also homozygous for the risk alleles of the 2 SNPs flanking the associated haplotype (rs2530388 and rs6457110) as observed in our previous study. Together, these data confirm the results of this study that patients with EBV ϩ HL are significantly more often homozygous for 33 The relative risk showed that persons carrying HLA-A*01 were 6 times more susceptible than those lacking it. These data were supported by Falk and Osoba, who also reported an increased incidence of HLA-A*01 in Canadian patients with HL.…”

Multiple HLA class I and II associations in classical Hodgkin lymphoma and EBV status defined subgroups

“…An association with HLA-DR5 has been reported previously by Robertson et al in familial cHL. 31 Significant effects of HLA-A1, HLA-B8, and HLA-B18 for cHL that have been reported in previous publications [12][13][14] could not be confirmed in the total patient group in our study, whereas the previously reported association with HLA-B5 29 was borderline significant in the overall cHL group in our study. These differences might be explained by differences in sample size, patient selection, and proportion of EBV ϩ cases.…”

“…6,[12][13][14] More recently, we focused on the EBV ϩ cHL subgroup in a genetic screening study of the entire HLA region. 5 In a subsequent fine-screening analysis, we found a strong association of specific HLA-A alleles with susceptibility to EBV ϩ cHL in Dutch and English patients.…”

HLA Associations in Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma: EBV Status Matters

“…The HLA-B5 association has been reported previously [35]. Significant effects of HLA-A1, HLA-B8, HLA-B18 and HLA-DR5 for cHL that have been reported in previous publications [12]–[14], [36] could not be confirmed in the total patient group in our study. These differences might be explained by differences in sample size, patient selection, and proportion of EBV+ cases, since we found HLA-A1 specifically in EBV+ cHL an HLA-DR5 specifically in EBV− cHL.…”

“…Initial HLA association studies in cHL were performed without taking EBV status into account and associations of HLA-A1, HLA-B5, HLA-B8 and HLA-B18 with cHL have been described, although the degree of reproducibility was low [6], [12]–[14]. More recently, we focused on EBV stratified cHL subgroups in a genetic screening study of the entire HLA region [5].…”