Correlation of autoantibodies and CD5+ B cells in ocular adnexal marginal zone B cell lymphomas.

AIM: To determine the clinicopathological properties of ocular adnexal marginal zone B cell lymphomas (MZBLs) with CD5+ B cells.

METHODS

This study determined the clinicopathological properties of MZBL samples from 97 patients with ocular adnexal MZBLs and searched for hallmarks of systemic autoimmunity in these patients.

RESULTS

Two elderly female patients were found to have ocular adnexal MZBLs with CD5+ B cells; flow cytometry analysis suggested that one of these MZBLs had CD5+ B cell clonal proliferation. The levels of anti-single stranded (SS)-DNA and anti-SS-A/Ro antibodies in these two patients were significantly higher than those in controls that were matched for age, gender and disease (2/2 versus 0/14; p = 0.008) and controls without MZBL (2/2 versus 0/30; p = 0.002). The genes from the immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable region for one of the patients showed a V3-21 segment. In addition, another patient with ocular adnexal reactive lymphoid hyperplasia with CD5+ B cells also had anti-SS-DNA antibodies.

CONCLUSION

Patients with ocular adnexal MZBLs with CD5+ B cells may have a background of systemic conditions with CD5+ B-cell-related autoantibodies.