Study of Biomarkers Using Tissue Samples From Older Patients With Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Treated With Combination Chemotherapy With or Without Rituximab on Clinical Trial ECOG-E4494

OBJECTIVES:

• To construct tissue microarrays (TMA) using tissue samples from older patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated with standard CHOP chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) with or without rituximab on clinical trial ECOG-E4494.
• To allow this TMA resource to be included in a large international effort (the Lunenburg Lymphoma Biomarker Consortium [LLBC]), partnering with several other similar randomized trials (EORTC, HOVON, GELA, MINT) in order to properly power and bring standardization to the study of biomarkers in lymphoma.
• To evaluate the clinical impact and prognostic importance of a number of biomarkers, including Bcl-2, Bcl-6, CD10, FOXP1, MUM1, Ki-67, CD5, and HLA-Dr.
• To determine the prognostic impact of clinical International Prognostic Index (IPI) variables in a large international study.
• To determine the relationship between different biomarkers and clinical predictors.
• To establish the TMA (using tissue samples from patients treated on clinical trial ECOG-E4494) as a resource for future ECOG-driven studies and for validation of novel biomarkers as they become recognized and available.

OUTLINE: Patients are stratified according to prior treatment (CHOP chemotherapy [cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone] or CHOP-like chemotherapy vs CHOP chemotherapy with or without rituximab).

Tissue microarrays will be constructed using tissue samples previously collected from patients treated on clinical trial ECOG-E4494. Tissue microarrays will be used for biomarker studies.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
• Received treatment on clinical trial ECOG-E4494

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• Not specified

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• Not specified