In the indolent lymphomas (n = 73), LAT1 expression level was positively related to the Ki-67 index (r = 0.640, P < 0.001) and serum LDH level (r = 0.382, P = 0.001), and negatively associated with patient survival span (r = − 0.426, P < 0.001). The gene discussed is SLC7A5; the disease is lymphoma.