Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: 2019 update on diagnosis, risk stratification, and treatment

Abstract

Disease overview: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common type of aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma originating from the germinal center, and it represents a heterogeneous group of diseases with variable outcomes that are differentially characterized by clinical features, cell of origin (COO), molecular features, and most recently, frequently recurring mutations.

Diagnosis: DLBCL is ideally diagnosed from an excisional biopsy of a suspicious lymph node, which shows sheets of large cells that disrupt the underlying structural integrity of the follicle center and stain positive for pan-B-cell antigens, such as CD20 and CD79a. COO is determined by immunohistochemical stains, while molecular features such as double-hit or triple-hit disease are determined by fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis. Commercial tests for frequently recurring mutations are currently not routinely used to inform treatment.

Risk stratification: Clinical prognostic systems for DLBCL, including the rituximab International Prognostic Index, age-adjusted IPI, and NCCN-IPI, use clinical factors for the risk stratification of patients, although this does not affect the treatment approach. Furthermore, DLBCL patients with non-germinal center B-cell (GCB)-like DLBCL (activated B-cell like and unclassifiable) have a poorer response to up-front chemoimmunotherapy (CI) compared to patients with GCB-like DLBCL. Those with c-MYC-altered disease alone and in combination with translocations in BCL2 and/or BCL6 (particularly when the MYC translocation partner is immunoglobulin) respond poorly to up-front CI and salvage autologous stem cell transplant at relapse.

Risk-adapted therapy: This review will focus on differential treatment of DLBCL up-front and at the time of relapse by COO and molecular features.