Background Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the second most common non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in Western countries. However, it is relatively rare in Asia. This study examined epidemiologic characteristics of FL in South Korea, with an emphasis on recent trends of increase in cases.
Methods We retrospectively examined 239 cases of newly diagnosed FL at a large tertiary institution in Korea (Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea) between 2008 and 2017. Age-adjusted incidence rates and clinicopathological variables were analyzed, and joinpoint regression analysis was used to identify the changes.
Results The age-adjusted incidence of FL significantly increased during the study period (p = .034), and the ratio of (relative incidence) patients with FL to patients with NHL increased from 4.28% to 9.35% in the same period. Over the 10-year study assessment duration, the proportion of patients with stage III/IV FL (p = .035) and expression of BCL2 (p = .022) or BCL6 (p = .039) significantly increased. From 2013–2017, the proportion of patients with highrisk Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (FLIPI) score increased (21.5% to 28.7%), whereas that of low-risk FLIPI decreased (55.4% to 38.6%), although those results were not statistically significant (p = .066).
Conclusions We found an increasing incidence of FL, with a disproportionate increase in the incidence of high-stage disease and recent changes in the clinicopathologic features of the Korean patient population.
Citations
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Background Follicular lymphomas present with various immunohistologic patterns. The immunohistochemical markers used in the diagnosis of follicular lymphoma show variable degrees of sensitivity and specificity, and thus, additional germinal center markers are required. Smad1 has been reported to be overexpressed in follicular lymphoma, but little is known regarding the expression patterns of Smad proteins in human lymphoid tissue. Methods: In the present study, we performed immunohistochemistry for traditional germinal center markers and for Smad1 in human reactive lymphoid and follicular lymphoma tissues to investigate Smad1’s usefulness in the diagnosis of follicular lymphoma. Results: In the reactive germinal centers, most cells were positive for Smad1. Among the 27 follicular lymphoma cases, 17 of 21 (80%) were Smad1 positive, 17 of 27 (63%) were positive for CD10, and 23 of 27 (85%) were positive for Bcl6. Notably, three cases expressed CD10 only, and one only expressed Bcl6. All these cases were grade 3 tumors and showed follicular and diffuse growth patterns. Conclusions: These results indicate that Smad1 is a candidate as a germinal center marker. Furthermore, they suggest that the Smad signaling pathway might be involved in follicular lymphoma.