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Two years later, another gene chip analysis yielded a third subtype of diffuse large B cell lymphoma. It also yielded another advance: Researchers found 17 genes that were strongly related to survival. The scientists created a formula to predict response to chemotherapy based on the expression patterns of these 17 genes. This formula divided B cell lymphoma patients into four groups. Two of the groups had about 72 percent survival rates 5 years after diagnosis. The third group had a 34 percent survival rate, and the fourth had a 15 percent survival rate. The 17-gene predictor formula was better than any current methods at identifying patients with the poorest prognosis. Identification like this is important because if patients predicted to have poor outcomes can be identified correctly early in treatment, they can receive more aggressive therapies right away instead of waiting until standard therapies fail.
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