title: Molecular detection of circulating neoplastic cells in patients with clinically localised gastric and non-gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Unlike other low-grade lymphomas, extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue type usually presents with localised disease.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To detect peripheral blood lymphoma involvement to establish the incidence of occult lymphoma dissemination.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a series of 18 cases, peripheral blood was analysed by polymerase chain reaction, with primers directed to the third-complementarity determining region of the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The presence of circulating neoplastic cells was detected in 21% of clinically localised cases. Moreover lymphoma cells were detected in 2 out of 6 morphologically normal bone marrow specimens. The present data show that, combining morphological and molecular methods, occult dissemination can be found in a large proportion of cases thus stressing the need for careful staging procedures. However, it has still to be clarified whether the presence of polymerase chain reaction-detectable circulating lymphoma cells can influence the outcome of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma patients submitted to antibiotic treatment (for gastric localisation) or local therapy (surgery or radiation, for non-gastric tumours).
authors.affiliation: Istituto Oncologico della Svizzera Italiana, Divisione di Oncologia Medica, Ospedale San Giovanni Bellinzona, Switzerland.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bertoni
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gisi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Roggero
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Conconi
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mingrone
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cavalli
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zucca
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001402:B-Lymphocytes; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005803:Genes, Immunoglobulin / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D018442:Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm