Evaluating plasma antinuclear autoantibody profile as a prognostic biomarker in lymphoma

Abstract Background Research on the antinuclear antibodies (ANA) profile across different pathological subtypes of lymphoma was limited. Our study aimed to assess ANA profile and investigate its potential prognostic value in lymphoma. Method We collected plasma samples from 139 lymphoma patients and analyzed the expression of plasma ANA, SSA, and SSB using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Additionally, we focused on B-cell non-Hodgldn’s lymphoma (B-NHL) for survival analysis. Results Influencing factors for ANA profile levels included age (ANA: P = 0.0035, SSA: P = 0.0553, SSB: P = 0.0025), gender (SSA: P = 0.0436), serum IgG (ANA, P = 0.0385; SSA, P = 0.0175; SSB, P = 0.0291), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (SSA: P = 0.0380). In subtype comparisons, ANA and SSB levels were significantly lower in low-grade B-NHL compared to Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) (low-grade B-NHL vs. NHL: ANA, P = 0.0107; SSB, P = 0.0126). Aggressive NHL exhibited a higher ANA profile compared to indolent NHL (aggressive NHL vs. indolent NHL: ANA, P = 0.0262; SSA, P = 0.0136; SSB, P = 0.0280). Kaplan–Meier analyses identified SSA and SSB as potential prognostic biomarkers in patients with B-NHL undergoing chemotherapy. Conclusion Our study evaluated ANA profile in various subtypes of lymphoma and demonstrated the prognostic value of autoantibodies in predicting clinical outcomes. The results highlight the potential of incorporating ANA profile into the prognostic assessment of lymphoma.