Clonotypic heterogeneity in cutaneous T-cell lymphomas.
The antigen receptor genes studied (immunoglobulin gene for B-cells, and T-cell receptor -beta or -gamma gene for T-cells) represent the most powerful tools for diagnosing the clonality of a lymphoid lineage. We have clonotyped 23 cutaneous T-cell lymphomas and 5 were found to be clonotypically all heterogeneous. Analysis of each patient was performed either from serial skin biopsies taken several months apart or from different tumor samples. In these cases, T-cell lymphoma clonotypic heterogeneity was demonstrated and was especially evident when examining different tumor sites. Moreover, in one case, a biogenotypic population (immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor-rearranged) was found. This unexpected high frequency of T-cell clonal heterogeneity (22%) could be explained either by the evolution of subclones from a single undifferentiated malignant cell or by the independent transformation to cancer of 2 or more lymphocytes, though the latter seems less likely. Clonotypic heterogeneity seems to be as frequent in T-cell lymphomas with cutaneous lesions as in B-cell leukemias.
Bignon
Y J
YJ
Laboratoire d'Oncologie Moléculaire, Centre Jean Perrin, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Souteyrand
P
P
Roger
H
H
Fonck
Y
Y
Bernard
D
D
Chassagne
J
J
Ramos
F
F
D'Incan
M
M
Chollet
P
P
Dastugue
B
B
D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D005803:Genes, Immunoglobulin; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D016399:Lymphoma, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology
D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell