Expression of TCF3 target genes defines a subclass of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma characterized by up-regulation of MYC target genes and poor clinical outcome following R-CHOP therapy

Fifty-eight retrospectively-ascertained local cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) were segregated into two large subgroups with divergent overall survival through expression profiling of 135 transcripts including 92 regulated downstream of TCF3 or recurrently mutated in DLBCL or Burkitt lymphoma The cohort consist of patients who presented at Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) from 2001 to 2011 and had: 1) diagnosis of de novo DLBCL; 2) available baseline and outcome clinical data; 3) treatment with R-CHOP; and, 4) sufficient formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE), pre-treatment biopsy material