Patients with high count monoclonal B-cell lymphocytis (MBL) seem to be at increased risk for non-hematologic cancer, according to an article published online ahead of print in Leukemia.1

Researchers identified all individuals with high-count MBL at the Mayo Clinic between 1999 and 2009 and compared rates of non-hematologic cancer among with patients with CLL, clinic control patients, and flow cytometry controls.

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With a median follow-up of 4.6 years, 13% of people with high-count MBL had developed non-hematologic cancer, compared with 4% clinic controls (comparison MBL P<0.0001), 4% flow controls (comparison MBL P=0.0001), and 12% of patients with CLL (comparison MBL P=0.82).

These findings further reinforce that high-count MBL “has a distinct clinical phenotype despite low risk of progression to CLL,” the authors concluded.

Reference

  1. Solomon BM, Chaffee KG, Joreira J, et al. Risk of non-hematologic cancer in individuals with high-count monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis. [published online ahead of print August 27, 2015]. Leukemia. doi: 10.1038/leu.2015.235.

Topics:

Hematologic Cancers Lymphoma