PI3K(phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase)/AKT pathway is an important oncogenic signaling pathway. However, clinical information about the significance of p-AKT expression in malignant lymphoma is not fully understood yet. In this study, we investigated the overexpression of p-AKT and its prognostic implication in malignant lymphoma.

Recently, among diverse oncogenic signaling pathways, a number of studies have focused on the significance of oncogenic PI3K/AKT (phophatidylinositol 3-kinase/serine-threonine kinase, also known as protein kinase B [PKB]) pathway. PI3K(phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase)/AKT pathway phosphorylates and activates AKT as phosphorylated AKT (p-AKT) and plays a critical role promoting malignant phenotype and has prognostic significance in various solid cancers.

However, a systematic approach on the impact of p-AKT overexpression on clinical outcomes has not been performed in malignant lymphoma.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. the patients were pathologically confirmed of malignant lymphoma, according to the World Health Organization classification;
2. the patients had adequate paraffin-embedded biopsy specimen or unstained slides for immunostaining of p-AKT.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Primary central nervous system lymphoma was excluded in this study

Patients with malignant lymphoma who are treated in a tertiary hospital in Korea (Samsung Medical Center)