Prevalence of autoimmune conditions in patients with marginal zone lymphoma: Exploratory analysis of a series of consecutive patients.

Abstract

e18543 Background: Recent literature suggests that an association exists between marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) and certain autoimmune conditions. Furthermore, MZL and autoimmune diseases may share same pathogenesis in these patients. The present study was set to identify the prevalence of autoimmune phenomena in MZL patients and compare it with same in general population. Methods: We conducted both retrospective and prospective analyses in a series of consecutive patients (n=24) with MZL that had been followed in outpatient setting. Median age was 71.8 years (range, 50-96). Records were reviewed for the presence of autoimmune abnormalities; length of the prospective analysis segment was ~24 months. Prevalence of autoimmune disorders in our cohort was compared to their respective prevalence in general population. Statistical analysis: The obtained values were tested for statistical significance using Fisher’s exact test for small number of observations (95% confidence); a p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: A total of 50% patients included in our study had documented autoimmune conditions. Identified autoimmune disorders included Hashimoto thyroiditis (n=5), immune thrombocytopenia [ITP] (n=4), rheumatoid arthritis [RA] (n=1), Raynaud's phenomena (n=1), psoriasis (n=1), and autoimmune hemolytic anemia [AIHA] (n=1). Statistical analysis showed the following significance: Hashimoto thyroiditis (p=0.037), ITP (p<0.01), AIHA (p<0.01), RA(p=0.351), psoriasis (p=0.479), and Raynaud's phenomena (p=0.666). Conclusions: Circa half of MZL patients also have autoimmune conditions, thus significantly exceeding the overall prevalence in general population. Statistically significant differences in our MZL patients were recorded for Hashimoto thyroiditis, ITP, and AIHA. When compared to the prevalence in general population, the difference did not reach statistical significance for RA, psoriasis, and Raynaud's phenomena. However, this may be related to the relatively small size of the analyzed cohort. Therefore, larger studies would be useful before definitive conclusions can be drawn.