Expression of cyclin B1 and cdc2 in nodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and its prognostic implications.

To investigate the role of cyclin B1 and cdc2 in the pathogenesis and progression of malignant lymphoma, 68 cases of nodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were examined about the expression of cyclin B1 and cdc2 along with p53 and Ki-67 by immunohistochemical method. The correlation of their expression with various clinicopathologic findings was also analyzed. Cyclin B1 and cdc2 were diffusely expressed in 39 cases (57.4%) and 54 cases (79.4%) out of 68 cases studied, respectively. The mean labeling indices of cyclin B1 and cdc2 in malignant lymphoma were 31.9% and 68.0%, respectively. In normal lymphoid tissues, cyclin B1 and cdc2 were expressed predominantly in the germinal center with mean labeling indices of 13.9% and 28.3%, respectively. The correlation between the expression of cyclin B1 and cdc2 was noted (p=0.013). The expression of Ki-67 was correlated with that of cyclin B1 (p=0.023) and marginally correlated with that of cdc2 (p=0.056). The expression of cdc2 and p53 in complete remission group to chemotherapy was lower than that of progressive disease group (p=0.047, p=0.049). In multivariate analysis, the clinical stage alone showed significance on overall survival (p=0.049). In conclusion, cyclin B1 and cdc2 appeared to be involved in the genesis or progression of malignant lymphoma and cdc2 can be a useful marker for response to chemotherapy.