Clinical significance of oxidative stress for untreated patients with diffuse large B‑cell lymphoma

  • Authors:
    • Hiroshi Nakamura
    • Takeshi Hara
    • Ryoko Mabuchi
    • Takuro Matsumoto
    • Nobuhiko Nakamura
    • Soranobu Ninomiya
    • Junichi Kitagawa
    • Nobuhiro Kanemura
    • Yusuke Kito
    • Tsuyoshi Takami
    • Tatsuhiko Miyazaki
    • Tamotsu Takeuchi
    • Masahito Shimizu
    • Hisashi Tsurumi
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: November 4, 2021     https://doi.org/10.3892/mco.2021.2437
  • Article Number: 4
Metrics: Total Views: 0 (Spandidos Publications: | PMC Statistics: )
Total PDF Downloads: 0 (Spandidos Publications: | PMC Statistics: )


Abstract

Oxidative stress serves an important role in carcinogenesis. The present study investigated the clinical significance of oxidative stress as a prognostic factor for diffuse large B‑cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The participants comprised 55 consecutive patients with DLBCL. A commercially available derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites (d‑ROMs) test kit was used to assess oxidant levels. Similarly, a commercially available biological antioxidant potential (BAP) test was used to assess antioxidant levels. The antioxidative/oxidative stress ratio was calculated as d‑ROMs/BAP. The median serum concentration of d‑ROMs was 425 µM. The levels of d‑ROMs were significantly higher in patients with DLBCL than in healthy volunteers (P<0.01). The complete remission (CR) rates in patients with d‑ROMs <425 and ≥425 µM were 81.5 and 85.7%, respectively [not significant (NS)]. The 3‑year overall survival (OS) rates for patients with d‑ROMs <425 and ≥425 µM were 67.2 and 72.0%, respectively (NS). The median BAP was 2,002 µM. The CR rates of patients with BAP <2,002 and ≥2,002 µM were 77.8 and 88.9%, respectively (NS). The 3‑year OS rates of patients with BAP <2,002 and ≥2,002 µM were 60.9 and 75.9%, respectively (NS). No significant difference in the d‑ROMs/BAP ratio was observed between groups. Multivariate analysis revealed that d‑ROMs were an independent prognostic factor for progression-free survival.

Introduction

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) constitutes 25-30% of adult non-Hodgkin lymphomas in developed countries, with higher percentages in developing countries. This pathology is more common among elderly individuals (1). Many investigators have investigated prognostic factors for DLBCL. We have previously reported various prognostic factors for DLBCL (2-13). Today, the most reliable and established prognostic factors for DLBCL are the International Prognostic Index (IPI) and the revised IPI (R-IPI) (14,15). Usually, the pathogenesis of cancer cells is considered to involve high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) because of metabolic and signaling abnormalities. ROS are believed to promote cancer progression through the activation of oncogenic signaling pathways and damage to DNA (16). Oxidative stress can be defined as an imbalance between the pro- and anti-oxidant responses of the cell. Oxidative stress may also result from overproduction of ROS or insufficient neutralization of ROS by anti-oxidants (17).

The measured concentration is considered to be directly proportional to the quantity of reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs) affected by active ROS and free radicals. Measuring ROMs thus enables quantitative evaluation of the condition of oxidative stress throughout the human body (18). Quantification of derivatives of ROMs (d-ROMs) is a simple method for detecting hydroperoxide levels (19), and clinical trials have shown that the d-ROMs test is useful for evaluating oxidative stress (19,20). Biological antioxidant potential (BAP) can be measured simultaneously.

ROS function may be a key to many impaired biological processes, including cancers. Various investigators have reported that oxidative stress plays an important role in carcinogenesis, including for lung cancer (21-23), hepatocellular carcinoma (24,25), colorectal cancer (26), and ovarian cancer (27). However, we could only identify one report that investigated associations between oxidative stress and hematological malignancies (28). Here, we aimed to investigate the role of oxidative stress as a prognostic factor for DLBCL in a retrospective analysis.

Patients and methods

Study design

This retrospective study was organized by Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine (Gifu, Japan). Participants were patients with untreated CD20-positive DLBCL at Gifu University Hospital. The initial cohort comprised 55 consecutive patients histologically diagnosed with DLBCL between December 2012 and March 2016 according to the 2008 classification of the World Health Organization (WHO) (29). All follow-up data were updated as of April 12, 2019. Thirty-six healthy volunteers (10 men, 26 women) served as a control group. All patients provided written informed consent to participate in the study according to the guidelines of our institution and the Declaration of Helsinki. Samples were acquired during routine diagnostic assessments. This study was approved by the institutional review board at our institution (Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, approval no. 2018-003).

Oxidative stress and other determinations

Oxidative stress was investigated by measuring serum hydroperoxide concentrations according to the d-ROMs test (Diacron International srl) using a free radical elective evaluator, FREE (Diacron International srl), as described previously (19,20,24,30). Similarly, a commercially available BAP test was used to assess antioxidant levels (Diacron International srl), as described previously (31). The antioxidative/oxidative stress ratio was calculated as BAP/d-ROMs. Peripheral white blood cell count (WBC) and serum concentrations of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL-2R), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were determined on admission.

Treatment strategy

Patients received 6-8 cycles of either R-CHOP or R-THP-COP. These regimens comprised rituximab (R; 375 mg/m2, as a 4-h intravenous (i.v.) drip infusion on day 1), cyclophosphamide (C; 750 mg/m2, as a 2-h i.v. drip infusion on day 3), doxorubicin (H; 50 mg/m2, as a 30-min i.v. drip infusion on day 3) or tetrahydropyranyl-adriamycin (THP; 50 mg/m2, as a 30-min i.v. drip infusion on day 3), vincristine (O; 1.4 mg/m2, maximal dose 2.0 mg i.v. as a bolus over 5 min on day 3), and prednisolone [P; 100 mg/day per os (p.o.) on days 3-7]. The R-THP-COP regimen included THP, an anthracycline derivative of doxorubicin reportedly offering lower cardiotoxicity than doxorubicin (32,33). Our previous prospective randomized study found no significant differences in remission or survival rates between CHOP and THP-COP therapies (34). In addition, we reported the utility and safety of R-THP-COP from a single-arm phase II study (35,36) and a randomized phase III study (37). Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was administered at the discretion of the physician. Patients with a bulky mass received radiotherapy after chemotherapy. Patients who relapsed or in whom disease progressed after R-CHOP or R-THP-COP, and those who were resistant to R-CHOP or R-THP-COP underwent salvage chemotherapy with R-P-IMVP-16/CBDCA (rituximab, methylprednisolone, ifosfamide, methotrexate, etoposide, and carboplatin) (38,39). A proportion of patients with refractory or relapsed DLBCL who responded to R-P-IMVP-16/CBDCA received high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.

Response criteria

Treatment response was evaluated after the 2nd, 4th, 6th, and final cycles of chemotherapy. Treatment responses were categorized after repeated physical examinations, radiological studies, gallium scintigraphy, fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography, and bone-marrow evaluation according to the 2007 International Working Group Criteria (40).

Statistical analysis

Data are expressed as median. Differences in mean values were tested using the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U-test and Kruskal-Wallis test. For comparisons among ≥3 groups, differences in mean values were tested using the nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test followed by Dunn's post hoc test. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to test correlations between d-ROMs and other serum markers. Effects of d-ROMs and other serum markers of survival were examined by univariate analyses using the log-rank test based on Kaplan and Meier methods (41). Multivariate analysis was performed using the Cox proportional-hazards regression technique to define the prognostic significance of selected variables including d-ROM and BAP. Values of P<0.05 were considered significant.

Results

Patient characteristics

A total of 55 patients were enrolled in the present study. Table I summarizes the clinical characteristics of patients (median age, 72 years; range, 36-93 years). Thirty-six healthy volunteers were enrolled (median age, 50.5 years; range, 25-82 years) (Table I). A significant difference in age was identified between DLBCL patients and controls (P<0.01).

Table I

Clinical characteristics of the patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (n=55).

Table I

Clinical characteristics of the patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (n=55).

VariableNo. (%)
Sex 
     Male36 (65.0)
     Female19 (35.0)
Age, years 
     <617 (12.7)
     ≥6148 (87.3)
PS 
     0, 146 (84.0)
     2-49 (16.0)
LDH 
     Normal19 (35.00
     Increased36 (65.0)
Extranodal sites 
     0, 137 (67.3)
     ≥218 (32.7)
Clinical stage 
     I/II17 (31.0)
     III/IV38 (69.0)
B symptom 
     Absence13 (24.0)
     Presence42 (76.0)
Bulky disease 
     Absence47 (85.0)
     Presence8 (15.0)
sIL-2R, U/ml 
     <2,00038 (69.0)
     ≥2,00017 (31.0)
IPI 
     Low11 (20.0)
     Low-intermediate13 (24.0)
     High-intermediate21 (38.0)
     High10 (18.0)
R-IPI 
     Very good1 (1.8)
     Good24 (43.6)
     Poor30 (54.50

[i] OS, overall survival; PFS, progression-free survival; d-ROM, derivatives of reactive oxygen; BAP, biological antioxidant potential; PS, performance status; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; sIL-2R, soluble interleukin 2 receptor; IPI, international prognostic index; R-IPI, revised IPI.

d-ROMs and BAP in DLBCL patients and healthy controls

Median d-ROMs concentration was significantly increased among healthy volunteers (329 µM) compared to DLBCL patients (425 µM; P<0.001) (Fig. 1A). In contrast, median BAP values were significantly decreased in DLBCL patients (2,002 µM) compared to healthy volunteers (2,352 µM; P<0.001) (Fig. 1B). In addition, the d-ROMs/BAP ratio was significantly higher in DLBCL patients (0.203) than in healthy volunteers (0.137; P<0.001) (Fig. 1C). Cut-offs were 425 µM for d-ROMs, 2,002 µM for BAP, and 0.203 for d-ROM/BAP, all of which essentially represented median values for all DLBCL patients.

Correlations between d-ROMs and other markers in DLBCL patients

Table II shows correlations between d-ROMs, BAP, d-ROMs/BAP and other markers in DLBCL patients. No significant correlation existed between d-ROMs and clinical stage in DLBCL patients. Significant correlations existed between d-ROMs and LDH (P<0.01), between d-ROMs and sIL-2R (P<0.001), between d-ROMs and IPI (P<0.05), between d-ROMs and B symptoms (P<0.001), and between d-ROMs and bulky disease (P<0.01) in patients with DLBCL. Significant correlations existed between BAP and IPI (P<0.001). No significant correlations existed between BAP and clinical stage, between BAP and sIL-2R, between BAP and B symptoms, between BAP and LDH, between BAP and performance status (PS) or between BAP and bulky disease in patients with DLBCL. Significant correlations existed between d-ROM/BAP and clinical stage (P<0.05), between d-ROM/BAP and sIL-2R (P<0.0001), between d-ROM/BAP and IPI (P<0.05), and between d-ROM/BAP and B symptoms (P<0.001) in patients with DLBCL.

Table II

Association between oxidative stress markers and other markers in diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

Table II

Association between oxidative stress markers and other markers in diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

 d-ROM (µM)BAP (µM)d-ROM/BAP
VariableMedianRangeP-valueMedianRangeP-valueMedianRangeP-value
Sex         
     Male426262-6600.342719991468-26530.85270.200.124-0.4320.7028
     Female381171-658 21261571-2812 0.210.100-0.360 
Age, years         
     <61415303-6600.648322131640-26090.24500.230.129-0.2530.6483
     ≥61426171-658 19981468-2812 0.200.100-0.432 
PS         
     0, 1402171-6600.301121291538-28120.02480.190.100-0.3600.0248
     2-4497280-634 17281468-2457 0.290.181-0.432 
LDH         
     Normal364247-4740.037221751626-25630.45150.170.100-0.2660.0491
     Increased440171-660 19811484-2812 0.230.101-0.432 
Extranodal sites         
     0, 1435171-6600.630719981468-26090.29110.190.101-0.4320.5036
     ≥2434247-622 21132113-2812 0.210.100-0.297 
Clinical stage         
     I/II378269-4740.061821781571-25720.09000.170.124-0.2450.0469
     III/IV435171-660 19811468-2812 0.220.100-0.432 
B symptom         
     Absence378171-6600.005421381538-26530.30430.190.100-0.2930.0021
     Presence553321-658 19081468-2812 0.290.165-0.432 
Bulky disease         
     Absence389171-6580.008920591538-28120.41180.190.100-0.3600.0018
     Presence552381-660 17361468-2609 0.260.242-0.432 
sIL-2R, U/ml         
     <2,000378247-6600.011221681538-28120.01210.180.100-0.2660.0066
     ≥2,000507171-658 18251468-2543 0.280.101-0.432 
IPI         
     Low364292-4740.039422031782-25630.00230.170.129-0.2280.0122
     Low-intermediate389269-660 21261697-2609 0.190.124-0.266 
     High-intermediate415171-658 17731468-2482 0.240.1-0.432 
     High521343-622 21951825-2812 0.220.129-0.297 
R-IPI         
     Very good (0 points)a3783780.1507221322130.09560.170.1710.0470
     Good (1 and 2 points)376269-660 21761697-2609 0.180.124-0.266 
     Poor (3-5 points)442171-658 19041468-2812 0.230.10-0.432 

[i] aThe Very good group included only 1 patient. d-ROM, derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolities; BAP, biological antioxidant potential; PS, performance status; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; sIL-2R, soluble interleukin 2 receptor; IPI, international prognostic index; R-IPI, revised IPI.

Analysis of response to therapy

Table III shows the results of analysis of complete remission (CR) rates in DLBCL patients. The CR rate for all DLBCL patients was 83.6%. CR rates of patients with d-ROM <425 and ≥425 µM were 81.5 and 85.7%, respectively [not significant (NS)]. CR rates of patients with BAP <2,002 and ≥2,002 µM were 77.8 and 88.9%, respectively (NS). CR rates of patients with d-ROM/BAP <0.203 and ≥0.203 were 88.9 and 77.8%, respectively (NS). No factors were significantly associated with CR rates in DLBCL patients.

Table III

Univariate analysis of remission rate in diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

Table III

Univariate analysis of remission rate in diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

 CR
VariableTotal no. of patients%P-value
All patients5583.6 
Sex   
     Male3678.90.4947
     Female1986.1 
Age, years   
     <61785.70.8736
     ≥614883.3 
PS   
     0, 14684.80.6034
     2-4977.8 
LDH   
     Normal1994.70.106
     Increased3677.8 
Extranodal sites   
     0, 13786.50.9662
     ≥21877.8 
Clinical stage   
     I/II1788.20.6198
     III/IV3881.6 
B symptom   
     Absence1381.00.3335
     Presence4292.3 
Bulky disease   
     Absence4787.20.0804
     Presence862.5 
sIL-2R, U/ml   
     <2,0003881.60.5375
     ≥2,0001788.2 
IPI   
     Low11100.00.0577
     Low-intermediate1392.3 
     High-intermediate2166.7 
     High1090.0 
R-IPI   
     Very good1100.00.0982
     Good2491.7 
     Poor3076.7 
d-ROM   
     <425 µM2281.50.6714
     ≥425 µM2485.7 
BAP   
     ≥2,002 µM2488.90.2488
     <2,002 µM2177.8 
d-ROM/BAP   
     <0.2032488.90.2488
     ≥0.2032177.8 

[i] CR, complete remission; d-ROM, derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolities; BAP, biological antioxidant potential; PS, performance status; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; sIL-2R, soluble interleukin 2 receptor; IPI, international prognostic index; R-IPI, revised IPI.

Oxidative stress as a prognostic factor in DLBCL

Table IV shows the results of univariate analyses for survival rates in DLBCL. Median follow-up period was 26.2 months. Three-year overall survival (OS) rates for patients with d-ROMs <425 and ≥425 µM were 67.2 and 72.0%, respectively (NS, Fig. 2A). Three-year OS rates for patients with BAP <2,002 and ≥2,002 µM were 60.9 and 75.9%, respectively (NS, Fig. 2B). Three-year OS rates for patients with d-ROMs/BAP <0.203 and ≥0.203 were 65.5 and 71.6%, respectively (NS, Fig. 2C). Other factors associated with significantly worse OS were poor PS (>1) and unfavorable IPI (high intermediate and high risk groups). Three-year progression-free survival (PFS) rates for patients with d-ROMs <425 and ≥425 µM were 66.7 and 65.1%, respectively (NS, Fig. 2D). Three-year PFS rates for patients with BAP <2,002 and ≥2,002 µM were 54.0 and 73.7%, respectively (NS, Fig. 2E). Three-year PFS rates for patients with d-ROMs/BAP <0.203 and ≥0.203 were 66.7 and 65.1%, respectively (NS, Fig. 2F). Other factors associated with significantly worsened PFS were advanced stage (III or IV), and unfavorable IPI (HI and H risk groups) (Table I).

Table IV

Univariate analysis of survival rate in diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

Table IV

Univariate analysis of survival rate in diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

 3 year-OS3 year-PFS
VariableNo. of patients%P-valueNo. of patients%P-value
All patients5569.3 5565.5 
Age, years      
     <617100.00.1129771.40.5840
     ≥614858.1 4847.8 
PS      
     0, 14676.10.01014671.30.0940
     2-49NR 9NR 
LDH      
     Normal1986.10.05411989.10.0311
     Increased3650.2 3645.0 
Extranodal sites      
     0, 13772.00.82393770.80.4569
     ≥21863.8 1853.9 
Clinical stage      
     I/II1787.80.33991787.80.0433
     III/IV3861.6 3855.7 
B symptom      
     Absence1364.90.25031366.10.3018
     Presence4261.5 4248.5 
Bulky disease      
     Absence4770.10.52174771.10.1580
     Presence837.5 825.0 
sIL-2R, U/ml      
     <2,0003870.60.88373870.60.7164
     ≥2,0001766.5 1754.5 
IPI      
     Low11100.00.038211100.00.0232
     Low-intermediate1382.1 1376.9 
     High-intermediate2152.7 2149.0 
     High1054.9 1043.8 
R-IPI      
     Very good1NR0.05331100.00.0169
     Good2485.4 2482.9 
     Poor3054.9 3050.2 
d-ROM      
     <425 µM2767.20.43692766.70.4104
     ≥425 µM2872.0 2865.1 
BAP      
     ≥2,002 µM2775.90.25102773.70.2055
     <2,002 µM2760.9 2754.0 
d-ROM/BAP      
     <0.2032765.50.92172760.20.8086
     ≥0.2032771.6 2770.4 

[i] OS, overall survival; PFS, progression-free survival; d-ROM, derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolities; BAP, biological antioxidant potential; PS, performance status; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; sIL-2R, soluble interleukin 2 receptor; IPI, international prognostic index; R-IPI, revised IPI; NR, not reached.

Multivariate analyses for OS and PFS (Table V)

Multivariate analyses identified age, PS, clinical stage, and sIL-2R as independent prognostic factors for OS, and LDH, clinical stage, and d-ROMs as independent prognostic factors for PFS.

Discussion

Oxidative stress might play an important role in carcinogenesis. Excessive production of ROS has been reported to cause damage to cellular macromolecules such as DNA (42), and can increase levels of various types of DNA damage, including DNA base damage and single- and double-strand breaks (43,44). In addition, excessive production of ROS could interrupt the tumor cell signaling pathways, which are involved in cell growth and survival. This obstruction might lead to cancer promotion and progression. Indeed, many reports have shown that oxidative stress might play important roles in carcinogenesis for some malignancies (21-27). Tsukioka et al (21) reported preoperative serum levels of ROMs as a significant independent predictor of nodal involvement in patients with clinical stage I lung adenocarcinoma. Oxidative stress could be reasonably expected to impact the progression of lung cancer, because the lung is the organ most affected by increased oxidative stress. Gencer et al (23) reported that serum levels of ROMs were increased in patients with different types of lung cancers and speculated that serum levels of ROMs may offer an index parameter for lung cancer. The role of ROS in colorectal cancer was examined by Inokuma et al (26). They reported that serum ROS levels were elevated in proportion to tumor invasion and showed a significant positive correlation with tumor size. Suzuki et al (24) reported that hepatocellular carcinoma patients with increased levels of oxidative stress were prone to recurrence after curative treatment.

The present study found a significant difference in age between DLBCL patients and controls. A previous study reported that oxidative stress was associated with mortality in older ages (45). We could not exclude the potential impact of aging on the production of oxidative stressors. Generally, elderly individuals comprise the majority of DLBCL patients, and age represents an important prognostic factor for DLBCL. We suspected that the production of oxidative stress might affect not only the carcinogenesis of DLBCL but also the poor prognosis in elderly patients with DLBCL. One possibility is that d-ROMs, BAP, and d-ROMs/BAP ratio might reflect the risk of inflammatory complications such as pneumonia in DLBCL patients. We cannot deny the possibility that inflammatory complications affected d-ROMs and BAP concentrations. When d-ROMs and BAP were measured in DLBCL patients on admission, no cases were complicated with inflammatory diseases such as pneumonia. Indeed, a significant correlation existed between d-ROMs and B symptoms.

In the present study, d-ROMs in DLBCL patients were increased compared to those in healthy volunteers. Similarly, BAP in DLBCL patients was decreased compared to that in healthy volunteers. As a result, the d-ROMs/BAP ratio was significantly higher in DLBCL patients than in healthy volunteers. These results suggest that oxidative stress contributes to carcinogenesis in DLBCL by damaging DNA. Our study could not find any positive correlation between d-ROMs and clinical stage. This result suggests that d-ROMs might not reflect the volume of lymphoma cells directly. Meanwhile, d-ROMs correlated significantly with both sIL-2R and IPI, which are recognized as powerful prognostic factors for DLBCL. Unfortunately, no significant difference in CR rates was seen between patients with d-ROMs <425 and ≥425 µM, BAP <2,002 and ≥2,002 µM, or d-ROMs/BAP <0.203 and ≥0.203. In addition, no significant differences in 3-year OS rates were identified between patients with d-ROMs <425 and ≥425 µM. Similarly, no significant differences were observed for BAP and d-ROMs/BAP ratio. However, multivariate analysis revealed d-ROMs as an independent prognostic factor for DLBCL patients in PFS. This result showed that oxidative stress may impact prognosis in DLBCL patients. At the same time, we should discuss the discrepancy between the results from uni- and multivariate analyses. We considered that some differences in background characteristics exist between high- and low-d-ROMs patients. Such differences in background may have contributed to discrepancies between results from uni- and multivariate analyses. If we could match backgrounds between high- and low-d-ROMs patients, univariate analyses might reveal some significant differences. Multivariate analysis offers a useful method to address the issue of differences in background characteristics. Indeed, the present study found significant deviations in LDH, B symptoms, and sIL-2R (data not shown). To clarify these problems, prospective studies are required. Recently, Nojima et al (28) reported the role of oxidative stress in DLBCL. They measured d-ROMs and BAP in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), similar to our study. Defining oxidation stress index (OSI) as OSI=C x (d-ROMs/BAP), where C denotes a coefficient for standardization to set the mean OSI in healthy individuals at 1.0), they reported OSI as significantly higher in DLBCL patients with advanced clinical stage compared to localized stage. They therefore claimed that the OSI might offer a useful clinical marker for NHL. However, they did not show differences in either CR rates or survival rates according to oxidative stress.

The issue of d-ROMs and BAP in lymphoma tissue is very interesting, but unfortunately we did not measure these concentrations in lymphoid tumor tissue. We therefore could not clarify the associations between d-ROMs and BAP concentrations in lymphoma tissue and serum. We consider that d-ROMs and BAP concentrations in lymphoid tumor tissue may correlate with serum concentrations, but serum concentrations of d-ROMs and BAP may also reflect immune responses of the whole body to lymphoid malignancies. Measurement of d-ROMs and BAP concentrations in lymphoid tumor tissue may clarify which cells produce the oxidative stress and the mechanisms by which oxidative stress affects the carcinogenesis of DLBCL.

In the present study, cases with high LDH levels showed higher levels of d-ROMs than those with low LDH levels. This may indicate that LDH reflects global dynamic metabolic reactions, including ROS. In addition, a previous study of population-based cohorts found that levels of d-ROMs were strongly associated with cancer mortality (46). In the present study, concentrations of d-ROMs were significantly higher in DLBCL patients than in healthy volunteers, and oxidative stress may also be associated with an increased risk of DLBCL (47).

In conclusion, levels of d-ROMs were significantly higher in DLBCL patients than in healthy volunteers. Although univariate analysis revealed that oxidative stress did not impact the prognosis of untreated patients with DLBCL, multivariate analysis revealed d-ROMs as an independent prognostic factor for DLBCL patients in PFS. These results showed that oxidative stress plays important roles in carcinogenesis for DLBCL patients.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the participating physicians, Dr Yoshikazu Ikoma, Dr Kaneda Yuto, Dr Kimihiro Yamaguchi and Dr Eri Takada. The authors are also grateful to Ms. Chiyoko Sano, Ms. Hitomi Fujisawa, Ms. Miho Yagi and Ms. Eriko Kunishima (all First Department of Internal Medicine, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan) for their administrative and technical assistance. This abstract was presented at the 17th Japanese Society of Medical Oncology Annual Meeting (July 18-20, 2019 in Kyoto, Japan) and was published as Abstract no. P3-085.

Funding

No funding was received.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Authors' contributions

HT, MS and TH designed the present study. HN, RM, TM, NN, JK and YK developed the methodology and assessed the authenticity of the raw data. TM, NN, SN, JK, YK, TsT, TM and TaT provided resources. HN, SN, NN, NK, TsT, TM and TaT performed the experiments. HN and TH wrote the original draft. MS and HT reviewed and edited the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Investigations were performed in compliance with the principles of good clinical practice outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki and federal guidelines, and had approval by the Medical Review Board of Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan (approval no. 2018-003). Written informed consent was obtained from each participant.

Patient consent for publication

Consent for publication was obtained from any individual person whose data are included in this manuscript.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

References

1 

Swerdlow SH, Campo E, Harris NL, Jaffe ES, Pileri SA and Stein H (eds): WHO Classification of Tumours of Haematopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues. IARC Press, Lyon, pp 291-297, 2017.

2 

Yamamoto Y, Goto N, Takemura M, Yamasuge W, Yabe K, Takami T, Miyazaki T, Takeuchi T, Shiraki M, Shimizu M, et al: Association between increased serum GP88 (progranulin) concentrations and prognosis in patients with malignant lymphomas. Clin Chim Acta. 473:139–146. 2017.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

3 

Nakamura N, Hara T, Shibata Y, Matsumoto T, Nakamura H, Ninomiya S, Kito Y, Kitagawa J, Kanemura N, Goto N, et al: Sarcopenia is an independent prognostic factor in male patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Ann Hematol. 94:2043–2053. 2015.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

4 

Nakamura N, Goto N, Tsurumi H, Takemura M, Kanemura N, Kasahara S, Hara T, Yasuda I, Shimizu M, Sawada M, et al: Serum level of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 is associated with the outcome of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated with the R-CHOP regimen. Eur J Haematol. 91:322–331. 2013.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

5 

Goto N, Tsurumi H, Takemura M, Kanemura N, Kasahara S, Hara T, Yasuda I, Shimizu M, Yamada T, Sawada M, et al: Serum soluble CD27 level is associated with outcome in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone. Leuk Lymphoma. 53:1494–1500. 2012.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

6 

Goto N, Tsurumi H, Goto H, Shimomura YI, Kasahara S, Hara T, Yasuda I, Shimizu M, Murakami N, Yoshikawa T, et al: Serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) level is associated with the outcome of patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma treated with R-CHOP regimens. Ann Hematol. 91:705–714. 2012.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

7 

Ninomiya S, Hara T, Tsurumi H, Goto N, Saito K, Seishima M, Takami T and Moriwaki H: Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase expression and serum kynurenine concentrations in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Leuk Lymphoma. 53:1143–1145. 2012.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

8 

Goto N, Tsurumi H, Kasahara S, Kanemura N, Hara T, Yasuda I, Shimizu M, Murakami N, Sawada M, Yamada T, et al: Serum interleukin-18 level is associated with the outcome of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated with CHOP or R-CHOP regimens. Eur J Haematol. 87:217–227. 2011.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

9 

Ninomiya S, Hara T, Tsurumi H, Hoshi M, Kanemura N, Goto N, Kasahara S, Shimizu M, Ito H, Saito K, et al: Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase in tumor tissue indicates prognosis in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated with R-CHOP. Ann Hematol. 90:409–416. 2011.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

10 

Yoshikawa T, Hara T, Tsurumi H, Goto N, Hoshi M, Kitagawa J, Kanemura N, Kasahara S, Ito H, Takemura M, et al: Serum concentration of L-kynurenine predicts the clinical outcome of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated with R-CHOP. Eur J Haematol. 84:304–309. 2010.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

11 

Hara T, Tsurumi H, Goto N, Kanemura N, Yoshikawa T, Kasahara S, Yamada T, Sawada M, Goto H, Fukuno K, et al: Serum soluble Fas level determines clinical outcome of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated with CHOP and R-CHOP. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 135:1421–1428. 2009.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

12 

Kojima Y, Tsurumi H, Goto N, Shimizu M, Kasahara S, Yamada T, Kanemura N, Hara T, Sawada M, Saio M, et al: Fas and Fas ligand expression on germinal center type-diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is associated with the clinical outcome. Eur J Haematol. 76:465–472. 2006.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

13 

Watanuki-Miyauchi R1, Kojima Y, Tsurumi H, Hara T, Goto N, Kasahara S, Saio M, Moriwaki H and Takami T: Expression of survivin and of antigen detected by a novel monoclonal antibody, T332, is associated with outcome of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and its subtypes. Pathol Int. 55:324–330. 2005.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

14 

International Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Prognostic Factors Project. A predictive model for aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. N Engl J Med. 329:987–994. 1993.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

15 

Sehn LH, Berry B, Chhanabhai M, Fitzgerald C, Gill K, Hoskins P, Klasa R, Savage KJ, Shenkier T, Sutherland J, et al: The revised International Prognostic Index(R-IPI)is a better predictor of outcome than the standard IPI for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated with R-CHOP. Blood. 109:1857–1861. 2007.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

16 

Gorrini C, Harris IS and Mak TW: Modulation of oxidative stress as an anticancer strategy. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 12:931–947. 2013.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

17 

Salzman R, Pácal L, Kaňková K, Tomandl J, Horáková Z, Tóthová E and Kostřica R: High perioperative level of oxidative stress as a prognostic tool for identifying patients with a high risk of recurrence of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Int J Clin Oncol. 15:565–570. 2010.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

18 

Cesarone MR, Belcaro G, Carratelli M, Cornelli U, De Sanctis MT, Incandela L, Barsotti A, Terranova R and Nicolaides A: A simple test to monitor oxidative stress. Int Angiol. 18:127–130. 1999.PubMed/NCBI

19 

Trotti R, Carratelli M and Barbieri M: Performance and clinical application of a new, fast method for the detection of hydroperoxides in serum. Panminerva Med. 44:37–40. 2002.PubMed/NCBI

20 

Hirose H, Kawabe H, Komiya N and Saito I: Relations between serum reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs) and various inflammatory and metabolic parameters in a Japanese population. J Atheroscler Thromb. 16:77–82. 2009.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

21 

Tsukioka T, Nishiyama N, Iwata T, Nagano K, Tei K and Suehiro S: Preoperative serum oxidative stress marker as a strong indicator of nodal involvement in clinical stage I lung adenocarcinoma. Int J Clin Oncol. 17:250–255. 2012.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

22 

Miyazaki T, Takagi K, Mine M, Yamasaki N, Tsuchiya T, Matsumoto K, Hatachi G, Izumino H, Doi R, Machino R and Nagayasu T: Video-assisted thoracic surgery attenuates perioperative oxidative stress response in lung cancer patients: A preliminary study. Acta Med Nagasaki. 59:19–25. 2014.

23 

Gencer M, Ceylan E, Aksoy N and Uzun K: Association of serum reactive oxygen metabolite levels with different histopathological types of lung cancer. Respiration. 73:520–524. 2006.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

24 

Suzuki Y, Imai K, Takai K, Hanai T, Hayashi H, Naiki T, Nishigaki Y, Tomita E, Shimizu M and Moriwaki H: Hepatocellular carcinoma patients with increased oxidative stress levels are prone to recurrence after curative treatment: A prospective case series study using the d-ROM test. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 139:845–852. 2013.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

25 

Sasaki Y: Does oxidative stress participate in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma? J Gastroenterol. 41:1135–1148. 2006.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

26 

Inokuma T, Haraguchi M, Fujita F, Tajima Y and Kanematsu T: Oxidative stress and tumor progression in colorectal cancer. Hepatogastroenterology. 56:343–347. 2009.PubMed/NCBI

27 

Hou D, Liu Z, Xu X, Liu Q, Zhang X, Kong B, Wei JJ, Gong Y and Shao C: Increased oxidative stress mediates the antitumor effect of PARP inhibition in ovarian cancer. Redox Biol. 17:99–111. 2018.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

28 

Nojima J, Motoki Y, Tsuneoka H, Kuratsune H, Matsui T, Yamamoto M, Yanagihara M, Hinoda Y and Ichihara K: ‘Oxidation stress index’ as a possible clinical marker for the evaluation of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Br J Haematol. 155:528–530. 2011.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

29 

Jaffe ES, Harris NL, Stein H and Vardiman JW: World Health Organization classification of tumors, pathology and genetics tumors of haematopoietic and lymphoid tissues. IARC Press, Lyon, pp 109-236, 2001.

30 

Sugiura T, Dohi Y, Takase H, Yamashita S, Tanaka S and Kimura G: Increased reactive oxygen metabolites is associated with cardiovascular risk factors and vascular endothelial damage in middle-aged Japanese subjects. Vasc Health Risk Manag. 7:475–482. 2011.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

31 

Kakita H, Hussein MH, Daoud GA, Kato T, Murai H, Sugiura T, Mizuno K, Yamada Y, Ito T, Fukuda S, et al: Total hydroperoxide and biological antioxidant potentials in a neonatal sepsis model. Pediatr Res. 60:675–679. 2006.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

32 

Takagi T and Oguro M: (2'-R)-4'-o-tetrahydropyranyladriamycin, a new anthracycline derivative; its effectiveness in lymphoid malignancies. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 20:151–154. 1987.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

33 

Miller AA and Salewski E: Prospects for pirarubicin. Med Pediatr Oncol. 22:261–268. 1994.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

34 

Tsurumi H, Yamada T, Sawada M, Kasahara S, Kanemura N, Kojima Y, Fukuno K, Hara T, Saio M, Takahashi T, et al: Biweekly CHOP or THP-COP regimens in the treatment of newly diagnosed aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. A comparison of doxorubicin and pirarubicin: A randomized phase II study. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 130:107–113. 2004.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

35 

Hara T, Tsurumi H, Goto N, Kitagawa J, Kanemura N, Yoshikawa T, Kasahara S, Goto H, Fukuno K, Yamada T, et al: Phase II study of Rituximab combined with THP-COP as first-line therapy for patients younger than 70 years with diffuse large B cell lymphoma. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 136:65–70. 2010.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

36 

Kasahara S, Hara T, Tsurumi H, Goto N, Kitagawa J, Kanemura N, Yoshikawa T, Goto H, Fukuno K, Yamada T, et al: Phase II study of the tetrahydropyranyl adriamycin-cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisolone regimen combined with rituximab as first-line treatment for elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Leuk Lymphoma. 52:629–634. 2011.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

37 

Hara T, Yoshikawa T, Goto H, Sawada M, Yamada T, Fukuno K, Kasahara S, Shibata Y, Matsumoto T, Mabuchi R, et al: R-THP-COP versus R-CHOP in patients younger than 70 years with untreated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: A randomized, open-label, non-inferiority phase 3 trial. Hematol Oncol. 36:638–644. 2018.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

38 

Sawada M, Tsurumi H, Yamada T, Hara T, Fukuno K, Goto H, Shimizu M, Kasahara S, Yoshikawa T, Kanemura N, et al: A prospective study of P-IMVP-16/CBDCA: A novel salvage chemotherapy for patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who had previously received CHOP therapy as first-line chemotherapy. Eur J Haematol. 68:354–361. 2002.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

39 

Matsumoto T, Hara T, Shibata Y, Nakamura N, Nakamura H, Ninomiya S, Kitagawa J, Kanemura N, Goto N, Kito Y, et al: A salvage chemotherapy of R-P-IMVP16/CBDCA consisting of rituximab, methylprednisolone, ifosfamide, methotrexate, etoposide, and carboplatin for patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma who had previously received R-CHOP therapy as first-line chemotherapy. Hematol Oncol. 35:288–295. 2017.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

40 

Cheson BD, Pfistner B, Juweid ME, Gascoyne RD, Specht L, Horning SJ, Coiffier B, Fisher RI, Hagenbeek A, Zucca E, et al: Revised response criteria for malignant lymphoma. J Clin Oncol. 25:579–586. 2007.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

41 

Kaplan EL and Meier P: Nonparametric estimation from incomplete observations. J Am Stat Assoc. 53:457–481. 1958.

42 

Valko M, Leibfritz D, Moncol J, Cronin MT, Mazur M and Telser J: Free radicals and antioxidants in normal physiological functions and human disease. Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 39:44–84. 2007.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

43 

Bjelland S and Seeberg E: Mutagenicity, toxicity and repair of DNA base damage induced by oxidation. Mutat Res. 531:37–80. 2003.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

44 

Kryston TB, Georgiev AB, Pissis P and Georgakilas AG: Role of oxidative stress and DNA damage in human carcinogenesis. Mutat Res. 711:193–201. 2011.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

45 

Schöttker B, Saum KU, Jansen EH, Boffetta P, Trichopoulou A, Holleczek B, Dieffenbach AK and Brenner H: Oxidative stress markers and all-cause mortality at older age: A population-based cohort study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 70:518–524. 2015.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

46 

Schöttker B, Brenner H, Jansen EH, Gardiner J, Peasey A, Kubínová R, Pająk A, Topor-Madry R, Tamosiunas A, Saum KU, et al: Evidence for the free radical/oxidative stress theory of ageing from the CHANCES consortium: A meta-analysis of individual participant data. BMC Med. 13(300)2015.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

47 

Lan Q, Zheng T, Shen M, Zhang Y, Wang SS, Zahm SH, Holford TR, Leaderer B, Boyle P and Chanock S: Genetic polymorphisms in the oxidative stress pathway and susceptibility to non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Hum Genet. 121:161–168. 2007.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar

Related Articles

Journal Cover

January-2022
Volume 16 Issue 1

Print ISSN: 2049-9450
Online ISSN:2049-9469

Sign up for eToc alerts

Recommend to Library

Copy and paste a formatted citation
x
Spandidos Publications style
Nakamura H, Hara T, Mabuchi R, Matsumoto T, Nakamura N, Ninomiya S, Kitagawa J, Kanemura N, Kito Y, Takami T, Takami T, et al: Clinical significance of oxidative stress for untreated patients with diffuse large B‑cell lymphoma. Mol Clin Oncol 16: 4, 2022
APA
Nakamura, H., Hara, T., Mabuchi, R., Matsumoto, T., Nakamura, N., Ninomiya, S. ... Tsurumi, H. (2022). Clinical significance of oxidative stress for untreated patients with diffuse large B‑cell lymphoma. Molecular and Clinical Oncology, 16, 4. https://doi.org/10.3892/mco.2021.2437
MLA
Nakamura, H., Hara, T., Mabuchi, R., Matsumoto, T., Nakamura, N., Ninomiya, S., Kitagawa, J., Kanemura, N., Kito, Y., Takami, T., Miyazaki, T., Takeuchi, T., Shimizu, M., Tsurumi, H."Clinical significance of oxidative stress for untreated patients with diffuse large B‑cell lymphoma". Molecular and Clinical Oncology 16.1 (2022): 4.
Chicago
Nakamura, H., Hara, T., Mabuchi, R., Matsumoto, T., Nakamura, N., Ninomiya, S., Kitagawa, J., Kanemura, N., Kito, Y., Takami, T., Miyazaki, T., Takeuchi, T., Shimizu, M., Tsurumi, H."Clinical significance of oxidative stress for untreated patients with diffuse large B‑cell lymphoma". Molecular and Clinical Oncology 16, no. 1 (2022): 4. https://doi.org/10.3892/mco.2021.2437