High intratumoural galectin-1 expression predicts adverse outcome in ALK^- ALCL and CD30⁺ PTCL-NOS

Galectin-1 (Gal-1) has been associated with adverse prognosis in several cancers including lymphoma entities with CD30 expression. However, Gal-1 expression has not been systematically assessed in peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL). Specimens from 169 nodal PTCL were assessed for intratumoural Gal-1 expression by immunohistochemistry. Overall survival (OS) in groups exhibiting high and low Gal-1 expression was compared in the cohort and in a subset analysis of CD30-positive PTCL only. Gal-1 expression was also correlated with biomarkers of the tumour microenvironment. No significant difference in OS based on Gal-1 expression was observed in the entire PTCL cohort. However, in the CD30-positive cohort, patients with high Gal-1 levels had significantly poorer outcome (5 years OS 10%, 95% confidence interval CI, 1-36) than their low Gal-1 counterparts (5 years OS 48%, 95% CI, 30-64, P = .021). In univariate analyses age 60 or younger, non-elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and performance score less than 2 correlated with superior survival but high Gal-1 expression significantly predicted adverse outcome at both univariate (HR 2.5, 95% CI, 1.1-5.7, P = .026) and multivariate levels (HR 3.2, 95% CI, 1.2-8.5, P = .017). Tumours with high Gal-1 had few cytotoxic T cells in the tumour microenvironment. High intratumoural Gal-1 expression before therapeutic intervention correlates with adverse outcome in nodal CD30⁺ , ALK^- PTCL patients.