Project description:Vitreoretinal lymphoma is a rare subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma considered a variant of primary central nervous system lymphoma. Its diagnosis requires examination of vitreous fluid, but cytologic differentiation from uveitis remains difficult. Due to its rarity and difficulty in obtaining diagnostic material, little is known about the genetic profile of the disease.
Project description:Vitreoretinal lymphoma (VRL) is a rare subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) considered a variant of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL). The diagnosis of VRL requires examination of vitreous fluid, but cytologic differentiation from uveitis remains difficult. Because of its rarity and the difficulty in obtaining diagnostic material, little is known about the genetic profile of VRL. The purpose of our study was to investigate the mutational profile of a large series of primary and secondary VRL. Targeted next-generation sequencing using a custom panel containing the most frequent mutations in PCNSL was performed on 34 vitrectomy samples from 31 patients with VRL and negative controls with uveitis. In a subset of cases, genome-wide copy number alterations (CNAs) were assessed using the OncoScan platform. Mutations in MYD88 (74%), PIM1 (71%), CD79B (55%), IGLL5 (52%), TBL1XR1 (48%), ETV6 (45%), and 9p21/CDKN2A deletions (75%) were the most common alterations, with similar frequencies in primary (n = 16), synchronous (n = 3), or secondary (n = 12) VRL. This mutational spectrum is similar to MYD88mut/CD79Bmut (MCD or cluster 5) DLBCL with activation of Toll-like and B-cell receptor pathways and CDKN2A loss, confirming their close relationship. OncoScan analysis demonstrated a high number of CNAs (mean 18.6 per case). Negative controls lacked mutations or CNAs. Using cell-free DNA of vitreous fluid supernatant, mutations present in cellular DNA were reliably detected in all cases examined. Mutational analysis is a highly sensitive and specific tool for the diagnosis of VRL and can also be applied successfully to cell-free DNA derived from the vitreous.
Project description:FFPE brain biopsy specimens of 64 patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma and 9 patients with secondary central nervous system lymphoma were analyzed in the study. We used the NanoSting nCounter human v3 miRNA assay for characterizing miRNA expression and carried out a detailed differential expression and clustering analysis of samples and miRNAs to look for expression changes associated to primary or secondary origin, cell of origin, mutation status or survival.
Project description:Primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) of the central nervous system (PCNSL) is a rare, extranodal lymphoma. Primary vitreo-retinal lymphoma (PVRL) occurs in 15-25% of PCNSL. CNS involvement also occurs in systemic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, termed secondary central nervous system lymphoma (SCNSL). Despite intensive treatment, patient outcomes are poor when compared to DLBCL without CNS involvement. How and why lymphoma cells home to the CNS and vitreo-retinal compartment remains unknown. In vivo models to study lymphoma cell tropism are urgently needed. We therefore established and characterized 2 primary and 2 secondary patient-derived CNS lymphoma xenograft mouse models using immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry and nucleic acid sequencing technology. In spleen reimplantation experiments, we characterized the dissemination pattern of orthotopic and heterotopic xenografts and performed RNA sequencing to detect differences on the transcriptome level. Moreover, we found that lymphoma cells in PCNSL xenografts home to the eye after intrasplenal implantation in around 60% of cases, similar to PVRL. This in vivo tumor model preserves key features of this rare lymphoma entity and can be used to explore pathways that are critical for CNS and retinal tropism with the goal to find potential new targets for novel therapeutic approaches .
Project description:Primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) of the central nervous system (PCNSL) is a rare, extranodal lymphoma. Primary vitreo-retinal lymphoma (PVRL) occurs in 15-25% of PCNSL. CNS involvement also occurs in systemic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, termed secondary central nervous system lymphoma (SCNSL). Despite intensive treatment, patient outcomes are poor when compared to DLBCL without CNS involvement. How and why lymphoma cells home to the CNS and vitreo-retinal compartment remains unknown. In vivo models to study lymphoma cell tropism are urgently needed. We therefore established and characterized 3 primary and 4 secondary patient-derived CNS lymphoma xenograft mouse models using immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry and nucleic acid sequencing technology. In spleen reimplantation experiments, we characterized the dissemination pattern of orthotopic and heterotopic xenografts and performed RNA sequencing to detect differences on the transcriptome level. Moreover, we found that lymphoma cells in PCNSL xenografts home to the eye after intrasplenal implantation in around 60% of cases, similar to PVRL. This in vivo tumor model preserves key features of this rare lymphoma entity and can be used to explore pathways that are critical for CNS and retinal tropism with the goal to find potential new targets for novel therapeutic approaches .