Clinical and biological characteristics of non-IgM lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma

Objective: To observe the clinical and biological characteristics of Non-IgM-secreting lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL) and draw the differences between non-IgM LPL and Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM).

Methods: Records of 13 patients with non-IgM LPL were retrospectively analyzed between January 2000 and December 2013. The cytogenetic aberrations were detected by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH).

Results: In the cohort, 7 males and 6 females with a median age of 63 years (range 43 to 74), two patients were IgA secreting, 6 with IgG secreting and 5 patients without monoclonal globulin. The major complaint at diagnosis included anemia associated symptom (53.8%), mucocutaneous hemorrhage and superficial lymphadenopathy (15.4%). Eight patients had B symptom at diagnosis. All of the 13 patients had bone marrow involvement and anemia, and 10 patients had 2 or 3 lineage cytopenia. In 5 patients with available immunophenotypic data, all expressed CD19, CD20, CD22 and CD25, but missed the expression of CD10, CD103 and CD38. Two cases had CD5 or sIgM positive alone. Another 2 patients were CD23 or CD11c positive and 3 patients were FMC7 positive. Cytogenetic aberrations had been detected by FISH in 7 patients, but only two (28.6%) patients had aberrations with del(6q).

Conclusions: The clinical and biological characteristics had no significantly difference between non-IgM LPL and WM.