nCounter NanoString Assay Shows Variable Concordance With Immunohistochemistry-based Algorithms in Classifying Cases of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma According to the Cell-of-Origin

Appl Immunohistochem Mol Morphol. 2019 Oct;27(9):644-648. doi: 10.1097/PAI.0000000000000696.

Abstract

Classifying diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) according to the cell-of-origin (COO) was first proposed using gene expression profiling; accordingly, DLBCL is classified into germinal-center B-cell type and activated B-cell type. Immunohistochemistry (IHC)-based classification using different algorithms is used widely due to the ability to use formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue. Recently, newer techniques using RNA expression from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded were introduced including the nCounter NanoString platform assay. In this brief report, we study the degree of concordance between the NanoString assay and 6 commonly utilized IHC-based algorithms to classify DLBCL cases by COO. Stains for CD10, BCL2, BCL6, FOXP-1, MUM-1, and LOM2 were used to classify a cohort of DLBCL by COO according to the respective IHC-algorithms. Then, RNA was extracted from the same cases for NanoString assay classification. The degree of concordance was calculated between the NanoString classification and each IHC-algorithm as well as among the different IHC-algorithm themselves. The concordance in COO classification of DLBCL between NanonoString assay and IHC-based algorithms is variable depending on the used IHC-algorithm; the highest concordance is seen with the Visco algorithm (κ=0.69; P=0.001). Therefore, discrepancies between the recently introduced NanoString assay and the commonly utilized IHC-algorithms are expected to some extent and should be taken into consideration when interpreting conflicting results.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • B-Lymphocytes / pathology*
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / diagnosis*
  • Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / metabolism
  • Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / pathology
  • Nanostructures
  • Neoplastic Stem Cells / physiology*
  • Neprilysin / genetics
  • Neprilysin / metabolism
  • Prognosis
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / metabolism
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-6 / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-6 / metabolism
  • RNA / analysis
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Transcriptome

Substances

  • BCL6 protein, human
  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-6
  • RNA
  • Neprilysin