Ocular lymphoma research sponsored by LOOC patients

Dr Sarah Coupland, Senior Lecturer in Pathology, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, has just been granted £18,000 for research into ocular lymphoma. This money was provided by the Eye Tumour Research Fund of LOOC, which consists entirely of donations from grateful patients attending our ocular oncology service. The research grant was independently reviewed and authorized by the Charitable Funds Committee of the hospital. Dr Coupland has an international reputation for her previous research into lymphoma and this study therefore has an excellent chance of success.

Lymphomas are cancers arising from lymphocytes, which are white blood cells providing immunity against infection. They can arise within and around the eye, causing local discomfort and visual loss. A minority of these ocular lymphomas also cause generalized disease and can be fatal (Coupland SE and Damato B. Lymphomas involving the eye and ocular adnexa. Curr Clin Ophthalmol, 2006, 17: 523-531).



It has recently been discovered that a gene known as FOXP1 predicts survival prognosis in patients with stomach lymphoma. Thanks to this breakthrough treatment is ‘personalized’ according to the degree of malignancy of the gastric lymphoma. More aggressive treatment can now be given selectively to patients with more dangerous lymphoma, improving their survival prospects, while sparing patients from unnecessary treatment if they have the indolent form of the disease.

Our aim is to find out whether lessons learnt from gastic lymphomas can be applied to ocular forms of the disease. We will examine FOXP1 gene expression in ocular lymphomas, determine its frequency, and assess its prognostic implications. We are confident that this project will greatly improve the treatment of patients with ocular lymphoma of the ‘MALT’ type, enhancing survival and quality of life.