Autoimmune disease-related primary CNS lymphoma: systematic review and meta-analysis

Primary central nervous system lymphoma: A diagnostic challenge in a young immunocompetent patient with limited resources

Primary central nervous system lymphoma is a rare form of central nervous system malignancy. It predominantly affects immunocompromised individuals and the elderly population. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is the most common type. This case report presents a 35-year-old female patient presented with progressive difficulty maintaining balance, headaches, seizures, and blurry vision for 2 months. Physical examination was unremarkable except for sluggish bilateral pupillary reaction and lower extremity weakness. MRI revealed multiple bilateral intraaxial masses. Biopsy and immunohistochemistry confirmed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, nongerminal center B-cell type. However, the diagnosis was delayed for 4 months. The delay in the diagnosis was caused by its atypical presentation, a surgical site infection, and limited resources, which led the patient to disregard the recommended treatment and leave the hospital against medical advice. Even in the absence of risk factors of primary central nervous system lymphoma, it should be considered as a differential in a young patient with neurologic symptoms and intraaxial mass. Minimally invasive biopsy techniques and readily available immunohistochemistry are essential for prompt diagnosis and guiding treatment.

Imaging Features of Immunodeficiency-Associated Primary CNS Lymphoma: A Review

In the immunocompromised setting, there are distinct radiologic findings of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL), including necrotic ring-enhancing lesions, increased propensity for intralesional haemorrhage, and multiplicity. In this clinical context, advanced imaging with MR perfusion, spectroscopy, and diffusion-weighted imaging can be used to increase accuracy in the diagnosis of lymphoma over mimics such as high-grade glioma, metastases, or infection. This review summarizes the histology and pathophysiology of PCNSL in immunodeficient hosts, which provide a basis for its imaging appearances, prognosis, and treatment. This discussion is important for the general radiologist as the incidence of immunodeficiency-related PCNSL may be increasing.

Brain Tumor Imaging: Review of Conventional and Advanced Techniques

Approaches to central nervous system (CNS) tumor classification and evaluation have undergone multiple iterations over the past few decades, in large part due to our growing understanding of the influence of genetics on tumor behavior and our refinement of brain tumor imaging techniques. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) both play a critical role in the diagnosis and monitoring of brain tumors, although MRI has become especially important due to its superior soft tissue resolution. The purpose of this article will be to briefly review the fundamentals of conventional and advanced techniques used in brain tumor imaging. We will also highlight the applications of these imaging tools in the context of commonly encountered tumors based on the most recently updated 2021 World Health Organization (WHO) classification of CNS tumors framework.

Treatment Options for Epstein-Barr Virus-Related Disorders of the Central Nervous System

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a causative agent for several types of lymphomas and mucosal cancers, is a human lymphotropic herpesvirus with the capacity to establish lifelong latent infection. More than 90% of the human population worldwide is infected. The primary infection is usually asymptomatic in childhood, whereas infectious mononucleosis (IM) is common when the infection occurs in adolescence. Primary EBV infection, with or without IM, or reactivation of latent infection in immunocompromised individuals have been associated with a wide range of neurologic conditions, such as encephalitis, meningitis, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, and cerebellitis. EBV is also involved in malignant lymphomas in the brain. An increasing number of reports on EBV-related disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) including the convincing association with multiple sclerosis (MS) have put in focus EBV-related conditions beyond its established link to malignancies. In this review, we present the clinical manifestations of EBV-related CNS-disorders, put them in the context of known EBV biology and focus on available treatment options and future therapeutic approaches.

Imaging of Lymphomas Involving the CNS: An Update-Review of the Full Spectrum of Disease with an Emphasis on the World Health Organization Classifications of CNS Tumors 2021 and Hematolymphoid Tumors 2022

Lymphomas of the CNS are the second most frequent primary brain malignancy in adults after gliomas. Presurgical suspicion of lymphoma greatly impacts patient management. The radiologic features of this tumor have been widely covered in the literature for decades, but under current classifications, mainly corresponding to the most common presentations of the most frequent type: primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the CNS. Nevertheless, rarer presentations of this specific lymphoma and of other World Health Organization lymphoma subtypes with different imaging features are rarely treated. Moreover, important advances in imaging techniques, changing epidemiologic factors with relevant impact on these tumors (eg, immunodeficiency/dysregulation), and recent updates of the World Health Organization Classification of CNS Tumors 2021 and Hematolymphoid Tumors 2022 may have rendered some accepted concepts outdated. In this article, the authors aim to fulfill a critical need by providing a complete update-review, emphasizing the latest clinical-radiologic features of the full spectrum of lymphomas involving the CNS.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Mortality in Elderly Patients With Early Breast Cancer

OBJECTIVE

Patients with cancer and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may have worse outcomes than those without SLE, given their comorbidities. We examined survival in elderly women with breast cancer (BC) and SLE and hypothesized that survival would be decreased compared with women with BC but without SLE.

METHODS

We identified patients with BC and SLE and patients with BC without SLE in the Texas Cancer Registry and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results, linked to Medicare claims. Overall survival (OS) was estimated after matching (age and cancer stage) and in multivariable Cox proportional hazards models adjusting for other cancer characteristics, treatment, and comorbidities. Two additional cohorts of women without cancer with and without SLE were also studied.

RESULTS

We identified 494 BC SLE cases and 145,517 BC non-SLE cases, of whom we matched 9,708. Women with SLE were less likely to receive radiation, breast conserving surgery, or endocrine therapy. The 8-year OS estimate for women with early BC (stages 0-II) with and without SLE was 52% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 45%-59%) and 74% (95% CI 73%-75%), respectively. In the Cox multivariable model, BC and SLE had increased risk of death (hazard ratio [HR] 1.65, 95% CI 1.38-1.98). Women with BC and SLE also had increased risk of death compared with women with SLE but without cancer (HR 1.42, 95% CI 1.05-1.92) after adjusting for SLE severity. Women with SLE and BC received less glucocorticoids, antimalarials, and immunosuppressants after cancer diagnosis than those without cancer.

CONCLUSION

Systemic lupus is a risk factor for increased mortality in women with early BC.

Treatment Options for Recurrent Primary CNS Lymphoma

OPINION STATEMENT

Primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL) constitutes a rare extranodal variant of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) with an annual incidence of 0.45/100,000. Given the paucity of large prospective clinical trials, there is no consensus treatment for refractory or relapsed (r/r) PCNSL, and available strategies are largely based on retrospective analyses. Patient age, performance status, previously administered treatment, duration of response, and molecular characteristics guide selection of salvage therapy. Patients with a good performance status (KPS >70), particularly ≤65 years, and adequate organ function should be considered for salvage polychemotherapy. Based on its high overall response rate even in the relapsed setting, we choose high-dose (≥ 3.5g/m²) methotrexate (HD-MTX) based regimens, e.g., R-MPV (rituximab, HD-MTX, procarbazine, and vincristine), for remission re-induction as long as patients were sensitive to first line HD-MTX-based regimens, especially when duration of previous response was ≥ 1 year. Following successful remission induction, we choose myeloablative chemotherapy (e.g., thiotepa, busulfan, cyclophosphamide) and subsequent autologous stem cell transplant in curative intent whenever feasible. Alternatively, conventional chemotherapy regimens (for example, monthly HD-MTX) or low-dose whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) are selected for consolidation in non-transplant candidates in complete remission. In cases of HD-MTX refractory disease or contraindications, we use pemetrexed; temozolomide/rituximab; high-dose cytarabine; or whole brain radiation for remission induction. Clinical trial participation is considered as well. Emerging therapies for upfront or salvage therapy under ongoing investigation include bruton tyrosine kinase inhibition (e.g., ibrutinib), immunomodulatory drugs (e.g., lenalidomide), immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI, e.g., nivolumab), and chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy.

Diffuse Large B-Cell Epstein-Barr Virus-Positive Primary CNS Lymphoma in Non-AIDS Patients: High Diagnostic Accuracy of DSC Perfusion Metrics

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Immunodeficiency-associated CNS lymphoma may occur in different clinical scenarios beyond AIDS. This subtype of CNS lymphoma is diffuse large B-cell and Epstein-Barr virus-positive. Its accurate presurgical diagnosis is often unfeasible because it appears as ring-enhancing lesions mimicking glioblastoma or metastasis. In this article, we describe clinicoradiologic features and test the performance of DSC-PWI metrics for presurgical identification.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients without AIDS with histologically confirmed diffuse large B-cell Epstein-Barr virus-positive primary CNS lymphoma (December 2010 to January 2022) and diagnostic MR imaging without onco-specific treatment were retrospectively studied. Clinical, demographic, and conventional imaging data were reviewed. Previously published DSC-PWI time-intensity curve analysis methodology, to presurgically identify primary CNS lymphoma, was used in this particular lymphoma subtype and compared with a prior cohort of 33 patients with Epstein-Barr virus-negative CNS lymphoma, 35 with glioblastoma, and 36 with metastasis data. Normalized curves were analyzed and compared on a point-by-point basis, and previously published classifiers were tested. The standard percentage of signal recovery and CBV values were also evaluated.

RESULTS

Seven patients with Epstein-Barr virus-positive primary CNS lymphoma were included in the study. DSC-PWI normalized time-intensity curve analysis performed the best for presurgical identification of Epstein-Barr virus-positive CNS lymphoma (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.984 for glioblastoma and 0.898 for metastasis), followed by the percentage of signal recovery (0.833 and 0.873) and CBV (0.855 and 0.687).

CONCLUSIONS

When a necrotic tumor is found in a potentially immunocompromised host, neuroradiologists should consider Epstein-Barr virus-positive CNS lymphoma. DSC-PWI could be very useful for presurgical characterization, with especially strong performance of normalized time-intensity curves.

Chemotherapy is an efficient treatment in primary CNS MALT lymphoma

BACKGROUND

Mucosae-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas are a rare and poorly understood form of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL). The aim of this study was to better describe these tumors, their management and their long-term prognosis.

METHODS

Patients with primary CNS MALT lymphoma (PCNSML) were retrospectively selected from the database on PCNSL of the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital.

RESULTS

Of 662 PCNSL, 11 (1.7%) PCNSML (9 females and 2 males, median age: 56 years) were selected. The median time from first symptoms to diagnosis was 13 months. Location was dural in 8 cases and parenchymal in 3 cases. The disease was multifocal/diffuse in 7 cases. In first line, all patients received chemotherapy (high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) based chemotherapy (n = 4) and non-HD-MTX-based chemotherapy (n = 7)), preceded by surgery in 4 cases. None received radiotherapy. According to the IPCG (International PCNSL Collaborative Group) criteria, the overall response rate was 7/11 (64%). At latest news, 5 patients had persistent contrast enhancement, stable with no treatment since a median of 57 months, raising the question of complete response despite persisting contrast enhancement. No patient developed neurotoxicity except for one patient who subsequently received radiotherapy. The median follow-up was 109 months. The median progression-free survival was 78.0 months and the 10-year overall survival rate was 90%.

CONCLUSION

This is the largest series demonstrating that chemotherapy is an efficient treatment in PCNSML, with an excellent long-term outcome and the absence of neurotoxicity, and calling into question the relevance of the IPCG criteria for the evaluation of response.

Patients with Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma Not Eligible for Clinical Trials: Prognostic Factors, Treatment and Outcome

Simple Summary

Many patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) participate in clinical trials. The inclusion criteria for these trials are largely uniform among various trials on first-line treatment. Therefore, there is a lack of data on therapeutic management and prognostic factors for patients not fulfilling these inclusion criteria. Here, we retrospectively analyzed treatment, outcome and prognostic factors of 34 patients of our center who did not fulfill inclusion criteria for clinical trials, and compared those results with data from the largest study of PCNSL patients, the G-PCNSL-SG-1 (German PCNSL Study Group 1) trial.

Abstract

Patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) not fulfilling inclusion criteria for clinical trials represent an underreported population. Thirty-four consecutive PCNSL patients seen at our center between 2005 and 2019 with exclusion criteria for therapeutic trials were analyzed (non-study patients) and compared with patients from the G-PCNSL-SG-1 (German PCNSL Study Group 1) study (study patients), the largest prospective multicenter trial on PCNSL, comprising 551 patients. Median follow up was 68 months (range 1–141) in non-study patients and 51 months (1–105) in study patients. Twenty-seven/34 (79.4%) non-study patients received high dose methotrexate (HDMTX), while seven/34 (20.6%) with a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) < 50 mL/min did not. Median overall survival (OS) was six months (95% confidence interval [CI] 0–21 months) in those 34 non-study patients. The 27 non-study patients treated with HDMTX were compared with 526/551 G-PCNSL-SG-1 study patients who had received HDMTX as well. Median OS was 20 months (95% CI 0–45)/21 months (95% CI 18–25) in 27 non-study/526 study patients (p = 0.766). Favorable prognostic factors in non-study patients were young age, application of HDMTX and early response on magnet resonance imaging (MRI). If HDMTX-based chemotherapy can be applied, long-term disease control is possible even in patients not qualifying for clinical trials. Initial response on early MRI might be useful for decision on treatment continuation.

CAR T-Cells for CNS Lymphoma: Driving into New Terrain?

Primary CNS lymphomas (PCNSL) represent a group of extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphomas and secondary CNS lymphomas refer to secondary involvement of the neuroaxis by systemic disease. CNS lymphomas are associated with limited prognosis even after aggressive multimodal therapy. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells have proven as a promising therapeutic avenue in hematological B-cell malignancies including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and mantle-cell lymphoma. CARs endow an autologous T-cell population with MHC-unrestricted effectivity against tumor target antigens such as the pan B-cell marker CD19. In PCNSL, compelling and long-lasting anti-tumor effects of such therapy have been shown in murine immunocompromised models. In clinical studies on CAR T-cells for CNS lymphoma, only limited data are available and often include both patients with PCNSL but also patients with secondary CNS lymphoma. Several clinical trials on CAR T-cell therapy for primary and secondary CNS lymphoma are currently ongoing. Extrapolated from the available preliminary data, an overall acceptable safety profile with considerable anti-tumor effects might be expected. Whether these beneficial anti-tumor effects are as long-lasting as in animal models is currently in doubt; and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment of the brain may be among the most pivotal factors limiting efficacy of CAR T-cell therapy in CNS lymphoma. Based on an increasing understanding of CAR T-cell interactions with the tumor cells as well as the cerebral tissue, modifications of CAR design or the combination of CAR T-cell therapy with other therapeutic approaches may aid to release the full therapeutic efficiency of CAR T-cells. CAR T-cells may therefore emerge as a novel treatment strategy in primary and secondary CNS lymphoma.