title: Presence of the bcl-2 protein and apoptosis in non-Hodgkin lymphomas with diffuse growth pattern.
abstract: In an attempt to further clarify the role of the apoptosis-counteracting protein bcl-2, non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL, n = 170) were examined immunohistochemically, across the boundaries of histologic classification, for the presence of this oncoprotein, in comparison with apoptotic indices (AI) and percentages of Ki-67+ cells (growth fraction). The results of this retrospective study revealed a highly significant inverse relationship ("mirror image") between the proportion of bcl-2+ cells and the AI per case. Both these parameters, although variable, clearly distinguished low- from high-grade-malignancy lymphomas according to the Kiel classification. Cluster analysis detected 2 separate groups of high-grade NHL, one with rather high AI and low percentages of bcl-2+ cells, comprising most anaplastic large-cell lymphomas, the other group with reverse characteristics. We found no correlation between the percentage of bcl-2+ cells per case and overall survival.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathologic Anatomy and Histology, University of Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Leoncini
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Del Vecchio
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Spina
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Megha
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barbini
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sabattini
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pileri
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tosi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kraft
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Laissue
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D002455:Cell Division; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2