Cell-Free DNA in Cerebrospinal Fluid Complements the Monitoring Value of Interleukin-10 in Newly Diagnosed Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma

OBJECTIVES: Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) usually has a poor prognosis. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) interleukin (IL)-10 has shown diagnostic, prognostic, and monitoring value in our previous studies. Cell-free circulating tumor DNA can be detected in the CSF of refractory/relapse cases and has also shown monitoring value. However, information about its monitoring value in newly diagnosed PCNSL patients and comparisons of CSF IL-10 and CSF cell-free DNA (cfDNA) are scarce. METHODS: We performed next-generation sequencing on paraffin-embedded tissue and the serial CSF cfDNA of 10 newly diagnosed PCNSL patients and on the baseline CSF cfDNA of 11 other central nervous system lymphoma patients. We also monitored the CSF IL-10 levels of the 10 newly diagnosed PCNSL patients. RESULTS: In seven newly diagnosed PCNSL patients with sufficient baseline CSF cfDNA, six had ≥1 mutated genes in their CSF cfDNA. The most common were MYD88(4/7), PIM1(3/7), MLL2(3/7), and ETV6(2/7). We also identified multiple somatic mutations, most commonly in PIM1. MYD88L265P can be detected in both tumor tissue and CSF cfDNA. The genomic profiles of CFS cfDNA were similar in PCNSL and PIOL patients. Newly diagnosed PCNSL patients with persistently positive cfDNA and negative IL-10 progressed quickly, while those with negative cfDNA and negative IL-10 were in maintenance therapy for more than 18 months. Two patients without cfDNA had increased CSF IL-10 concentrations before disease relapse. These results indicate that negative CSF cfDNA predicts better results, and persistently positive CSF cfDNA predicts disease progression earlier than conventional magnetic resonance imaging. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, CSF cfDNA is a potential predictor of relapse and progression, which complements the monitoring value of CSF IL-10 in newly diagnosed PCNSL patients.