Abstract
Nasal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma is characterized by chemo-resistance, angiodestruction, and aggressive tumor progression. Few studies exist on molecular characteristics of this disease entity. Expression levels of major apoptosis-related proteins Bcl-2, Bcl-x, Mcl-1, Bax, and a proliferative marker Ki-67 were analyzed in 11 nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma cases by immunohistochemical methods. Nine cases were of NK-cell lineage and two cases were of T-cell lineage. For comparison, 12 follicular lymphoma (FL) cases and 16 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cases were also studied. Bax expression was low in all nasal NK-cell lymphoma cases, which constitute the major population of nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma. Bax expression in nasal NK-cell lymphoma was similar to FL and significantly lower compared with DLBCL. Bcl-2 expression was significantly lower in nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma compared with that of FL and DLBCL. Bcl-x expression was high in all three lymphomas. Two distinct Mcl-1 expression groups existed for nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma (6.2 +/- 5.2% and 59.1 +/- 12.3%, 95% CI). Ki-67 expression was high in nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma, and worse prognostic groups tended to express higher levels of Ki-67. The results suggest a combination of impaired apoptosis and aggressive proliferation in nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma, and may provide explanations for its poor prognosis.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
