title: Blastic transformation of mantle cell lymphoma: genetic evidence for a clonal link between the two stages of the tumour.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The blastic variant of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL-BV) may develop through histological transformation of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). However, the clonal link between the tumour cells of MCL and transformed MCL-BV has not been established at the genetic level. To investigate this link longitudinal molecular genetic studies have been performed in two cases of MCL that showed morphological transformation to MCL-BV.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and nucleotide sequence analyses of the complementary determining region 3 (CDR) of the immunoglobulin (Ig) heavy chain (H) gene were performed to identify clone-specific rearrangements. In both cases, nucleotide sequence analysis revealed common clone-specific IgH gene rearrangements in MCL and subsequent MCL-BV.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results provide genetic evidence for the common clonal origin of MCL and subsequently developed MCL-BV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University Medical School of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: László
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matolcsy
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D001752:Blast Crisis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D015326:Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte, Heavy Chain; D006801:Humans; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000235:genetics; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D020522:Lymphoma, Mantle-Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region