Abstract:

Objective To assess the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase（iNOS）　in diffuse large B cell lymphoma，and to clarify the relationship between iNOS expression and clinicopathological factors. Methods Paraffin-embedded tissue arrays were prepared from 40 patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma and 15 patients with reactive lymph node proliferation. Immuno-histochemistry was used to detect iNOS expression，and possible relationships of expression with gender，age，disease stage and International prognostic index （IPI） were analyzed. Results The rate of tissues positive for iNOS was 67.5% in diffuse large B cell lymphoma but only 26.7% in reactive lymph node proliferation. Expression levels of iNOS were significantly higher in diffuse large B cell lymphoma tissues than in reactive lymph node proliferation（P<0.05），and these levels correlated with histology grade and IPI （both P<0.05），but not with gender，age，or disease stage（P>0.05）. Conclusion Diffuse large B cell lymphoma is associated with a higher rate of iNOS expression， and this correlates with histology grade and IPI. Therefore iNOS appears to play an important role in the development of this type of lymphoma.

Key words: Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma, Inducible nitric oxide synthase, Immunohistochemistry, Expressiom, Clinical significance