Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of all participants
| Controls | Patients with CLL and no detectable EBV DNA | Patients with CLL and detectable EBV DNA | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | 20 | 51 | 59 | |
| Age, years mean (SD) | 64.50 (7.15) | 63.63 (10.76) | 63.81 (9.37) | 0.943 |
| White blood cell count G/l, median [IQR] | 7.02 [6.12, 7.85] | 30.40 [19.85, 46.72] | 28.30 [20.47, 48.92] | <0.001a |
| Lymphocyte count G/l, median [IQR] | 2.62 [2.19, 3.05] | 22.58 [14.93, 40.55] | 22.44 [15.40, 43.01] | <0.001a |
| Hemoglobin, g/dl mean (SD) | 14.29 (1.19) | 14.12 (1.27) | 12.09 (1.42) | <0.001b |
| Platelet count, G/L mean (SD) | 279.00 (57.05) | 180.51 (46.98) | 150.02 (58.07) | <0.001c |
| Beta-2 microglobulin, mg/dl median [IQR] | 1.68 [1.29, 1.91] | 2.37 [1.98, 2.87] | 3.47 [2.78, 4.23] | <0.001c |
| Lactate dehydrogenase, U/L median [IQR] | 155.50 [137.00, 178.25] | 254.00 [214.50, 334.00] | 327.00 [290.50, 378.00] | <0.001c |
| RAI stage (%) | 0.06 | |||
| 0 | – | 24 (47.1) | 24 (40.7) | |
| I | – | 15 (29.4) | 11 (18.6) | |
| II | – | 12 (23.5) | 16 (27.1) | |
| III | – | 0 (0.0) | 2 (3.4) | |
| IV | – | 0 (0.0) | 6 (10.2) | |
| BINET classification (%) | 0.018 | |||
| A | – | 24 (47.1) | 24 (40.7) | |
| B | – | 27 (52.9) | 27 (45.8) | |
| C | – | 0 (0.0) | 8 (13.6) | |
| CD19+ZAP70+ cells >20%, n (%) | – | 11 (21.6) | 27 (45.8) | 0.009 |
| CD19+CD38+ cells >30%, n (%) | – | 6 (11.8) | 34 (57.6) | <0.001 |
| CD19+ZAP70+ cells, % median [IQR] | – | 5.80 [3.22, 18.19] | 17.96 [11.09, 29.04] | <0.001 |
| CD19+CD38+ cells, % median [IQR] | – | 1.64 [0.78, 6.27] | 33.53 [12.02, 59.89] | <0.001 |
| 17p deletion, n (%) | – | 0 (0.0) | 5 (8.5) | 0.06 |
| 13q deletion, n (%) | – | 8 (15.7) | 5 (8.5) | 0.375 |
| 11q deletion, n (%) | – | 4 (7.8) | 15 (25.4) | 0.022 |
| Trisomy 12, n (%) | – | 2 (3.9) | 2 (3.4) | 1 |
Notes: P-values are for comparisons using ANOVA (normally distributed variables) or the Kruskal-Wallis test. Frequencies were compared with Fisher’s exact test. When p<0.05, post-hoc comparisons were done with Dunn’s test (p-values adjusted with the Benjamini-Hochberg method). ap<0.05 on post hoc comparisons: controls vs patients with CLL both EBV(+) and EBV(−). bp<0.05 on post-hoc comparisons: EBV(+) patients with CLL vs EBV(−) patients with CLL and controls. cp<0.05 on post-hoc comparisons: EBV(+) patients with CLL vs EBV(−) patients with CLL vs controls.
Abbreviations: CLL, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia; EBV, Epstein-Barr virus; IQR, interquartile range; SD, standard deviation.