These cells, which typically have a centroblast-like morphology, infiltrate one or, in ~6% of cases, both testicles. PT-DLBCL is an aggressive disease that often spreads to the central nervous system and has median overall survival and progression-free survival times of 96 and 49 months, respectively.The neoplastic cells in almost all cases of DLBCL, NOS express CD20. Commercially available anti-CD20 antibody agents such as rituximab or Obinutuzumab (which is sometimes used in place of rituximab) kill cells that express high levels of CD20 by binding to this cell-surface protein and thereby targeting them for attack by the hosts adaptive immune system. The addition of one of these immunotherapy agents to chemotherapy protocols has greatly improved the prognosis of most DLBCL, NOS variants. Neoplastic cell expression of CD30, found in 10–15% of DLBCL, NOS cases is a favorable prognostic indicator. As indicated in the following Treatments and prognoses section, expression of the CD20 and CD30 proteins as well as the CD19, CD20 CD22, CD30, CD79A, CD79B, and D-L1 proteins, expression of the MYC, BCL2, MYD88nd, and CREBBP genes, and expression of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR, JAK-STAT, B-cell receptor, toll-like receptor, and NF-κB signaling pathways are being studied as potential therapeutic targets for the individualized treatment of GBC and ABC/non-GBC DLBCL, NOS cases. Treatments and prognoses
First-line therapy
First-line therapy for patients with the GBC variant of DLBCL, NOS is R-CHOP. R-CHOP consists of rituximab, three chemotherapy drugs (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and vincristine) and a glucocorticoid (either prednisone or prednisolone).
The regimen achieves cure, relapse following remission, and unresponsive rates of 60–70%, 30–40% and <10%, respectively, in GBC variant cases. Relapses generally occur within the first 3 years of diagnosis with few cases doing so after 5 years. Patients who are refractory to, relapse within 1 year of diagnosis before starting, relapse within 6 months after completing, or progress within 2 years of starting R-CHOP have poorer prognoses. R-CHOP is less effective and not recommended for patients who have MYC, BL2, and/or BL6 rearrangements regardless of their GBC, ABC, or non-GBC type. One recommendation for treating these DH/THL cases is the DA-R-EPOCH regimen (dose-adjusted rituximab, etoposide, prednisolone, oncovin, cyclophosphamide, and hydroxydaunorubicin). S-R-EPOCH achieves 2 year survival rates of 40–67% compared to a ~25% survival rate for R-CHOP in these cases. DA-R-EPOCH has also been recommended for patients with double expresser lymphoma although some experts recommend treating this variant more like a typical DLCBL, NOS. First-line therapy for patients with the ABC, undetermined, or non-GBC variants has been the DA-R-EPOCH regimen. Patients with these variants (including those with double expresser lymphoma) have had a ~40% cure rate when treated with it. A randomized clinical trial conducted in France reported that a R-ACVBP chemotherapy regimen (rituximab, adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, vindesine, bleomycin, and cytarabine followed by sequential consolidation therapy with systemic methotrexate, ifosfamide, and etoposide, and then cytarabine) achieved significantly better response rates than R-CHOP in ABC/NGC variant cases lymphoma.