CD30 expression and its association with clinicopathological features in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: a retrospective analysis

Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequency of CD30 (cluster of differentiation 30) expression in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and its association with clinicopathological features.

Method: A retrospective study was conducted between March 2023 and December 2024 at the Department of Histopathology, Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, Pakistan. The study included cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma diagnosed between 5 March 2022 and 5 March 2023. CD30 immunostaining was evaluated using proportional scoring and intensity scoring, and a combined score of >3 was considered CD30 positive. Its association with age, gender, tumour site and immunophenotype was explored. Data were analysed using SPSS version 25.

Results: Of the 91 patients, 64 (70.3%) were male and 27 (29.7%) were females, while 50 (54.9%) were aged >50 years and 41 (45.1%) were <50 years. CD30 expression was noted in 28 (30.8%) cases. No significant association was found for CD30 expression with age (p=0.276, p=0.12), gender (p=0.878, p=0.02) and tumour location (p=0.507, p=0.07). A trend towards association was observed between immunophenotype and CD30 expression (p=0.072, Cramer's V=0.24).

Conclusion: CD30 expression was observed in less than one-third of cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, indicating its potential relevance in disease classification and therapeutic targeting.

Key Words: CD30 expression, Clinicopathological features, Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, Gene expression profiling, Hans algorithm.