Genome Expression in Lymphoma, Leukemia and Multiple Myeloma

Current diagnosis of the lymphoid malignancies relies upon the morphological appearance of the cancer cells supplemented by a few molecular markers. Within a diagnostic category, the clinical courses and responses of patients to therapy are variable, suggesting that the existing diagnostic categories may harbor more than one disease entity. Recent genomic technologies allow a comprehensive molecular analysis of the expression of the genome in cancer cells. DNA microarray analysis of gene expression in lymphomas revealed distinct molecular subtypes of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and these new molecularly-defined lymphoma subtypes had divergent clinical outcomes. To extend our genomic analysis to all lymphoid malignancies, we have formed a consortium of cooperating institutions termed the Lymphoma/Leukemia Molecular Profiling Project (LLMPP). The clinical centers participating in the LLMPP will send de-identified lymphoma, leukemia and multiple myeloma samples to the NCI for gene expression profiling, array-based comparative genomic hybridization and cancer gene resequencing. An additional site, The National Cancer Center Singapore, will send de-identified samples of tumor tissue from patients with lymphoma. Objective: Assess gene expression on a genomic scale in lymphoma, leukemia and multiple myeloma samples and its relationship to somatic genetic alterations. Eligibility: Diagnosis of lymphoid malignancy at one of the LLMPP participating institutions, including specimens originating at other clinical sites and submitted to LLMPP participating sites or The National Cancer Center Singapore. Design: This is an entirely retrospective study. All tumor biopsies containing malignant cells to be analyzed were obtained previously from patients diagnosed and/or treated at one of the institutions participating in the LLMPP or at The National Cancer Center Singapore. Clinical data will also be sent for the patients in this study for the purpose of correlating gene expression measurements with clinical outcome. The goals of this effort are to define new molecular diagnostic categories in these diseases that are clinically relevant and to gain new insight into the molecular pathways that are active in these malignancies. The home institutions providing clinical data and tissue samples have obtained local approval by their clinical research committees for this study.