High Prevalence of MYD88 and CD79B Mutations in Primary Sinonasal Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Identification of an MCD-like Subtype

Primary sinonasal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (PSDLBCL) is a rare aggressive lymphoma. Recently, genetic classification using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) demonstrated that PSDLBCL largely consists of the MCD genotype, which has a poor prognosis mainly driven by MYD88 L265P and CD79B gene abnormalities. This study investigated the prevalence and clinicopathological significance of MYD88 L265P and CD79B Y196 mutations using droplet digital PCR in 55 patients with PSDLBCL, as well as the translocation of BCL2/BCL6/c-Myc with FISH. We found mutations in MYD88 L265P (29/55, 52.7%) and CD79B Y196 (20/55, 36.4%). The MCD-like subtype, defined by the mutation of MYD88 and/or CD79B, was found in 32 out of 55 cases (58.2%). This subtype largely consists of non-GCB type (31/32, 96.9%; P<0.01) and double-expressor cases (20/32, 62.5%; P=0.01) compared with the MYD88/CD79B co-wild type, with BCL6 translocation in a small subset (2/32, 6.3%) and no translocations of BCL2 (0/32) or c-Myc (0/32). The MCD-like subtype tended to relapse in specific sites such as the central nervous system, testis, and/or skin compared with the co-wild type (P=0.03), showing poorer outcomes in overall survival (P=0.02) and progression-free survival (P=0.01). In conclusion, our study highlights a high prevalence of MYD88 and CD79B mutations in PSDLBCL, identifying an aggressive MCD-like subtype with a distinct relapse pattern. This molecular subclassification can be helpful for both prognostic prediction and therapeutic strategy in patients with PSDLBCL.