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ASCO 2026 | Insights into a study evaluating genetic signatures of CNS relapse in patients with DLBCL
In this video, Jackson Bowers, MD, UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA, provides insight into a study evaluating genetic signatures of central nervous system (CNS) relapse in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). He highlights the importance of using next-generation sequencing (NGS) to profile patients at diagnosis, noting that two DLBCL subtypes, MCD and C5, were associated with a higher risk of CNS relapse. Dr Bowers also emphasizes the need for better prophylactic options beyond high-dose methotrexate for these patients. This interview took place during the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Meeting in Chicago, IL.
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Transcript
I’m really excited to be at ASCO this year presenting my work on genetic signatures of CNS relapse and DLBCL. We just had a great oral abstract discussion. So our study involved taking 155 patients with DLBCL who had undergone NGS at UCSF and looking at their genetic subtypes using the two genetic classifiers in the field, LymphGen and DLBclass, and we found that two of the high-risk subtypes, MCD and C5, had a much higher risk for CNS relapse, around 20% in two years compared to 6% for the other patients...
I’m really excited to be at ASCO this year presenting my work on genetic signatures of CNS relapse and DLBCL. We just had a great oral abstract discussion. So our study involved taking 155 patients with DLBCL who had undergone NGS at UCSF and looking at their genetic subtypes using the two genetic classifiers in the field, LymphGen and DLBclass, and we found that two of the high-risk subtypes, MCD and C5, had a much higher risk for CNS relapse, around 20% in two years compared to 6% for the other patients. So this is a really important finding in terms of identifying patients up front who may have CNS relapse, which is a really devastating event for patients with DLBCL and an unmet need. I think, you know, certainly our study suggests that using NGS up front at diagnosis for patients with DLBCL can help us identify patients at high-risk for CNS relapse, which I think is a clinically actionable finding. I think one of the questions that came up in our session was, can we prevent these relapses? And I think that’s an outstanding question. But I think the main takeaway from our work is that these MCD and C5 patients have a much higher risk of CNS relapse, and I think we need better prophylactic options for them beyond just high-dose methotrexate, which is the current prophylactic standard.
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