The Tumor Microenvironment Measured by Flow Cytometry Predicts Overall Survival (os) and Transformation Risk (tr) in Follicular Lymphoma.

Background: FL is an indolent but heterogeneous lymphoid neoplasm with a variable clinical course. Transformation into an aggressive lymphoma is a dominant clinical event that is frequently followed by shorter survival. There is no consistent biological prognostic marker for TR. Recent studies have highlighted the role of the microenvironment in helping to determine the prognosis of FL. However, its impact on TR is largely unknown. In this study we used diagnostic flow cytometry (FC) analysis to assess the role of non-malignant cells in determining OS and TR in FL.