The Use of Molecular Profiling to Predict Survival after Chemotherapy for Diffuse Large-B-Cell Lymphoma

The survival of patients with diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma after chemotherapy is influenced by molecular features of the tumors. We used the gene-expression profiles of these lymphomas to develop a molecular predictor of survival.

Biopsy samples of diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma from 240 patients were examined for gene expression with the use of DNA microarrays and analyzed for genomic abnormalities. Subgroups with distinctive gene-expression profiles were defined on the basis of hierarchical clustering. A molecular predictor of risk was constructed with the use of genes with expression patterns that were associated with survival in a preliminary group of 160 patients and was then tested in a validation group of 80 patients. The accuracy of this predictor was compared with that of the international prognostic index.