BMC Research Notes (Jul 2024)

Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated 4 protein expression is associated with a high international prognostic score in advanced-stage classical Hodgkin lymphoma

  • Flora Dameria Pangaribuan,
  • Maria Francisca Ham,
  • Mutiah Mutmainnah,
  • Agnes Stephanie Harahap

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-024-06853-1
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 17, no. 1
pp. 1 – 7

Abstract

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Abstract Objective Twenty percent of all classical Hodgkin lymphoma (CHL) cases relapse and recur, especially in advanced stages with a high International Prognostic Score (IPS). Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) is a regulatory molecule that can inhibit the immune response and is related to tumor aggressiveness. This study aimed to determine the relationship between CTLA-4 expression in advanced-stage CHL and IPS, identifying it as a potential therapy target. Results In advanced-stage CHL, the group with a high IPS exhibited significantly higher mean CTLA-4 expression compared to the group with a low IPS (p = 0.003).The group with Hb level 15,000/µL, lymphocyte count < 8%, albumin level < 4 g/dl, and stage 4 exhibited higher CTLA-4 expression than the other group, although only leukocyte count and stage showed statistical significance (p = 0.004 and p = 0.020). Mean CTLA-4 expression was 239.84 ± 76.36 for nodular sclerosis, 293.95 ± 147.94 for mixed cellularity, 271.4 ± 23.56 for lymphocyte depleted, and 225.2 for lymphocyte-rich subtypes. The results suggest that CTLA-4 expression is associated with adverse prognostic factors in the IPS for advanced-stage CHL, supporting the notion that immune checkpoints play a role in cancer progression.

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