SOX11 may be an accurate diagnostic marker for mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), allowing clinicians to distinguish it from other lymphoproliferative disorders, according to findings from a meta-analysis of 14 case-control studies.
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Woojoo Lee, PhD, of Inha University, Incheon, Republic of Korea, and coinvestigators, evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of SOX11 immunohistochemistry for the diagnosis of MCL. The results were published in PLoS One.
The researchers searched major databases for studies that evaluated the use of SOX11 immunohistochemistry in patients with MCL and other lymphoproliferative disorders. After applying the search parameters, the team identified 383 studies, 14 of which were included in the meta-analysis. Various data were extracted from eligible studies, including the type and clonality of anti-SOX11 antibody, number of SOX11-positive lymphomas (MCLs and other lymphoproliferative disorders), specificity, sensitivity, and others. After combining the data, the investigators calculated pooled sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve. Among the included studies, hairy cell leukemia, Burkitt’s lymphoma, and lymphoblastic lymphoma were common among patient populations. In total, clone MRQ-58 mouse antibodies were used in five study populations.
The researchers found that the pooled specificity was 0.95 (95% CI, 0.9-0.97), and sensitivity was 0.9 (95% CI, 0.86-0.92). There was statistically significant substantial heterogeneity observed for specificity, but not for sensitivity, the investigators reported.
“The results demonstrated that SOX11 was a potential diagnostic marker for MCL,” they wrote. “Meta-regression revealed a significant inverse relationship between specificity and proportions of [Burkitt’s lymphoma, lymphoblastic lymphoma, and hairy cell leukemia].”
With respect to antibody type, the clone MRQ-58 mouse antibody showed consistently high specificity in the clinical setting, despite observed heterogeneity.
“Future studies using MRQ-58 are needed to improve our understanding of the diagnostic accuracy of SOX11 immunohistochemistry for MCL,” the investigators wrote.
The study was funded by the Next-Generation BioGreen 21 program (Republic of Korea). The authors reported having no conflicts of interest.
SOURCE: Lee W et al. PLoS One. 2019 Nov 12. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225096.