title: Polymerase chain reaction-based detection of B-cell clonality in the fine needle aspiration biopsy of a thyroid mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma.
abstract: Although it is possible to diagnose primary high-grade thyroid lymphoma from a fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy, the distinction of low-grade B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) from lymphocytic thyroiditis is sometimes problematic. Definitive diagnosis of lymphoma on cytologic specimens may be facilitated by the documentation of a clonal lymphoid proliferation within the specimen by flow cytometric immunophenotyping or immunocytochemistry. Recently, molecular techniques have also been developed to detect clonal lymphoid proliferation based on immunoglobulin (Ig) or T-cell receptor gene rearrangement. We have used a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay for Ig heavy chain gene arrangement to identify a clonal population of lymphocytes within the thyroid FNA specimen from a low-grade thyroid MALT lymphoma. Using this assay, we identified no distinct clonal population in five cytologic specimens of lymphocytic thyroiditis. Therefore, this PCR-based clonality assay represents a potentially useful adjunct to the cytologic diagnosis of thyroid lymphoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lovchik
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lane
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Clark
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D006801:Humans; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000235:genetics; D018442:Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains