title: Determination of lineage and clonality in diffuse lymphomas using the polymerase chain reaction technique.
abstract: Malignant lymphomas of the diffuse mixed or diffuse large cell subtype are immunologically heterogeneous and morphologic features do not allow prediction of lineage. Applications of immunophenotypic and gene rearrangement techniques has greatly improved our ability to determine clonality and lineage. Nevertheless, some diffuse lymphomas are composed of numerous reactive cells accompanying a small clonal population, thereby making determination of clonality difficult, even with gene rearrangement techniques. In this study, we report two malignant lymphomas in which immunophenotypic and genotypic studies failed to elucidate evidence of clonality. In both cases, the polymerase chain reaction amplified segments of DNA containing the bcl-2/JH sequence, providing evidence of clonality and suggesting B-cell lineage. We conclude that the polymerase chain reaction technique may be useful in the diagnosis of some diffuse mixed and large cell lymphomas.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Hematopathology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lardelli
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Swaby
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Medeiros
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Jaffe
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rizzi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stetler-Stevenson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation / Q000032:analysis; D002887:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 18; D002999:Clone Cells; D005260:Female; D005784:Gene Amplification; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D006801:Humans; D007133:Immunoglobulin Joining Region / Q000235:genetics; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009857:Oncogenes / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D014178:Translocation, Genetic
chemical_list: D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; D007133:Immunoglobulin Joining Region; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins