Among all patients with DLBCL, there was no significant difference in the overall survival between those with hypermethylated and unmethylated p15 (P=0.442) or between those with hypermethylated and unmethylated p16 (P=0.468).
Interestingly, the methylation frequency of the CDH13 gene was comparable to those of the tumor suppressor genes p15 (68%) and p16 (74%) detected in B-DLCLs.
The high frequency and exclusive occurrence of deletions involving p16 in the progressed DLCLs suggests that genetic loss at 9p21 targeting p16 and/or p15 is an important secondary genetic event in the histologic progression of FCL.