A Review of Primary Thyroid Lymphoma: Molecular Factors,Diagnosis and Management

Purpose/aim: To focus on current aspects of primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL), which is a rare clinical entity usually manifested by a rapidly growing mass in the neck that can cause pressure symptoms.

Materials and Methods: Relevant papers in PubMed published through June 2017 were selected to track updated information about PTL with an emphasis on diagnosis and novel therapeutic management.

Results: The most frequent cases include non-Hodgkin lymphoma derived from B-cells, mainly diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) followed by mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma or a mixed type. Other subtypes are less common. Lymphomas derived from T-cells and Hodgkin lymphomas are extremely rare. Hashimoto's autoimmune thyroiditis has been implicated as a risk factor for lymphoma. At the molecular level, the Wnt5a protein and its receptor Ror2 are involved in the course of the disease. Ultrasonography, fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy, and core or open biopsy combined with new diagnostic facilities contribute to an accurate diagnosis. An increased potential exists for a cure without the need for a radical surgical procedure. Modern chemoradiation therapy plus the monoclonal antibody rituximab, which acts against CD20, have limited the need for surgical interventions and provide an excellent outcome in most cases. However, some cases have resulted in treatment failure or recurrence.

Conclusions: A multidisciplinary approach must be used to define the management policy in each case. Future efforts by researchers are likely to be focused on the molecular level.     

弥漫性大B细胞淋巴瘤的病理、免疫组化特征及IgH基因重排的检测

目的 探讨弥漫性大B细胞淋巴瘤(DLBCL)临床和病理组织学特征以及免疫组化特异性抗体及IgH基因重排检测在其诊断和鉴别诊断中的价值。方法 收集30例弥漫性大B细胞淋巴瘤及其临床资料，用免疫组化孓P法标记LCA，CD20，CD79a，CD30及bcl-2抗体和用PCR方法检测15例IgH基因重排。结果 70％(21／30)弥漫性大B细胞淋巴瘤发病年龄在40～70岁，淋巴结内外都可累及。组织病理学：中心母细胞淋巴瘤占83．3％(25／30)，免疫母细胞淋巴瘤占3．3％(1／30)，间变性大细胞淋巴瘤占6．7％(2／30)，及富于T细胞B细胞淋巴瘤占6．7％(2／30)。免疫标记LCA均表现阳性，CD20、CD79a、CD30、bcl-2表达率分别为86．7％(26／30)，93．3％(28／30)，6．7％(2／30)，20％(6／30)。15例DLBCL中IgH基因重排阳性为66．7％(10／15)。结论 弥漫性大B细胞淋巴瘤是一组异质性肿瘤，必须结合其组织病理学形态和特异抗体的免疫组化检测，对一些疑难病例需做IgH基因重排检测以进行诊断和鉴别诊断。     

B细胞淋巴瘤石蜡包埋组织克隆性重链基因重排检测

目的 探讨克隆性重链基因重排检测在B细胞淋巴瘤(B—NHL)诊断中的价值。方法 用半巢式聚合酶链反应(semi—nested PCR)、聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳(PAGE)及银染技术，检测经形态学及免疫组织化学确诊的23例B—NHL石蜡包埋组织标本的克隆性免疫球蛋白第三互补决定区(IgHCDR3)重排基因，对照组为7例T细胞淋巴瘤(T—NHL)及6例反应性增生或肉芽肿性淋巴结炎。结果 B—NHL IgHCDR3检出的阳性率87．0％(20／23)，假阳性率7．7％(1／13)，假阴性率13．0％(3／23)。结论 检测克隆性IgHCDR3重排为B—NHL的诊断及鉴别诊断提供有效的辅助手段。     

Distribution of extracellular matrix components and their receptors in human lymphoid tissue and B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas

In this study the distribution patterns of various extracellular matrix components and their receptors (i.e. β1 integrins) in B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas were examined and compared to those in reactive lymphoid tissue. Neoplastic follicles within follicular lymphomas showed similar patterns to that observed in reactive follicles, which appeared to be strongly associated with the presence of follicular dendritic cells. Diffuse lymphomas of low and intermediate malignancy grade revealed features comparable to those of interfollicular areas of reactive lymphoid tissue, irrespective to which compartment the tumour cells were related. Highly malignant lymphomas, however, displayed unique extracellular matrix configurations, resulting from active matrix degradation by macrophages; this may support rapid tumour growth. Extranodal lymphomas showed virtually the same matrix patterns as their nodal counterparts, suggesting that (malignant) lymphoid cells generate (at least partly) their own specific microenvironment. In reactive lymphoid tissue β1 integrins were mainly found on resident cells and except for α4, α5 (and β1) the lymphoid cells expressed very little, if any, β1 integrins. In comparison, expression of these integrins on lymphoma cells was reduced (follicular lymphomas) or could not be detected at all (diffusely growing lymphomas); this might contribute to the growth pattern and metastatic properties of the tumours.     

Suppressive effect of immature erythroid cells on the B-cell proliferation

Immature erythroid cells suppress the proliferative response of preactivated B lymphocytes to lipopolysaccharide. The same effect is observed when recombinant human interleukin-2 or culture medium conditioned by preactivated T or B cells is added to cultured cells. Suppressive nucleate erythroid cells are resistant to leucine methyl ester. Translated fromByulleten’ Eksperimental’noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 123, No. 1, pp. 66–70, January, 1997     

The expression of the B-cell marker mb-1 (CD79a) in Hodgkin's disease

Recent evidence indicates that membrane-bound immunoglobulin on B lymphocytes is associated with a molecule which comprises the products of the mb-1 and B29 genes. This molecule is a highly specific marker for B-cells, presumably because of its central functional role in antigen triggering, and has recently been clustered as CD79a at the 5th Leucocyte Workshop. Recently there has been controversy surrounding reports of B-cell antigen expression by Reed–Sternberg and related cells, and we have therefore studied 108 cases of Hodgkin's disease immunohistochemically using a novel antibody which detects mb-1 protein in paraffin sections. The results were compared with those achieved using antibody L26 to detect CD20. The mb-1 protein was present in the neoplastic cells in all 14 cases of lymphocyte predominance Hodgkin's disease studied, and CD20 immunoreactivity was also found in seven of the eight cases of this subtype studied. Of the non-lymphocyte predominance cases, 20% (19/94) expressed mb-1 and 30% (20/67) CD20 in the Reed–Sternberg cells, but the cells positive for either of these two markers usually constituted only a very small proportion of the neoplastic population. However, in occasional cases (one of 94 for mb-1 and five of 67 for CD20), more than 50% of the neoplastic cells expressed one or both B-cell antigens. These results confirm the B-cell origin of the neoplastic cells in lymphocyte predominance Hodgkin's disease, but they also indicate that, contrary to our previous study, mb-1 expression may occasionally be found in what appears, on histological grounds, to be other types of Hodgkin's disease.