“BTK Inhibitors Could Help Prevent Lymphoma in Sjögren’s Syndrome Patients, Genetic Blood Tests Show”

French researchers have reported that genetic blood tests show that patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome who subsequently develop lymphoma have overexpressed Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) and a cytokine called APRIL. The researchers have suggested that BTK inhibitors might be useful in this population. According to the study, BTK was expressed at levels 20% higher on average in 21 Sjögren’s patients later developing lymphoma compared to those without lymphoma. Multivariate analysis shows that elevated BTK expression at cohort enrollment is predictive of lymphoma onset. The study also indicates that APRIL, a cytokine that stimulates B-cell expansion, was also overexpressed in Sjögren’s patients prior to lymphoma development. The researchers suggest a common pathology centered in B-cell activity, and suggest that this information needs confirmation in other prospective cohorts. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is relatively common in primary Sjögren’s syndrome, and previous studies have found that the risk for NHL is 14 times greater in these patients versus the general population.