Homing receptor alpha 4 beta 7 integrin expression predicts digestive tract involvement in mantle cell lymphoma

Appropriate staging and evaluation of residual disease is critical to impro ving the treatment of patients with lymphoma. The specific expression of ho ming receptors may determine the preferential dissemination pattern of tumo ral cells. We investigated the expression of the mucosal homing receptor al pha 4 beta 7 on tumoral cells from peripheral lymph node in patients with n ewly diagnosed mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) to check whether it is associated with gastrointestinal involvement. Expression of the alpha 4 beta 7 integr in and the peripheral lymph node addressin CD62L were also examined. Thirte en MCL patients presenting with peripheral lymphadenopathy were studied. Ex pression of the mucosal homing receptor integrin alpha 4 beta 7 by peripher al lymph node lymphoma cells was found to be frequent (5/13) and associated with gastrointestinal involvement (5/7). in contrast, lymphoma cells from patients without gastrointestinal involvement did not express alpha 4 beta 7 (6/6) (P = 0.03) These data suggest that alpha 4 beta 7 integrin is expre ssed by a subset of MCLs and that its expression may predict digestive trac t involvement in MCL, furnishing a basis for recognizing two distinct clini cal and phenotypic forms, ie, "digestive homing (or digestive primitive)" v ersus "peripheral" MCL, Further studies on more patients will be needed to understand. the impact of biological differences on the prognosis of these two clinical forms.