Immunohistochemistry for c-MET, HLA class II, and CD68 does not show prognostic value in early-stage classic Hodgkin lymphoma patients in the EORTC-GELA H9 intergroup randomised trial.

What was studied

Finding high-risk patients matters in classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). It guides tailored treatment. Clinical risk factors help but can be improved. Many tissue biomarkers were linked to prognosis. None reached the accuracy needed for daily practice. This study tested c-MET, HLA and CD68 in early-stage cHL. They were tested alone and together with clinical risk factors. The team used immunohistochemistry on diagnostic tissue from patients in the EORTC-GELA H9 trial. The design was case-cohort. The main outcome was progression-free survival (PFS). The study had 257 patients and 105 PFS events. Cox regression with Barlow weighting gave hazard ratios.

What they found

c-MET was found in the tumor cells in 108 of 162 evaluable cases. Cell-surface HLA was seen in 70 of 137. CD68 scores above the median were called high. The hazard ratio for c-MET was 0.752. The range was 0.456 to 1.241. For HLA it was 0.854. The range was 0.503 to 1.448. For CD68 it was 0.864. The range was 0.518 to 1.440. No marker was significantly linked to PFS. So no combined analyses were done.

What it means for patients

The authors say none of these markers tracked patient outcomes. They say the lack of validation may reflect trial-specific factors. These include risk-adapted treatment, exclusion of advanced-stage patients and scoring challenges. They say the markers give too little prognostic value for clinical use.

Why it is not certain yet

Trial-specific factors may explain the lack of validation. These include risk-adapted treatment, exclusion of advanced-stage patients and scoring challenges. A single trial can only show so much.

Source

Immunohistochemistry for c-MET, HLA class II, and CD68 does not show prognostic value in early-stage classic Hodgkin lymphoma patients in the EORTC-GELA H9 intergroup randomised trial.

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