Molecular detection of circulating neoplastic cells in patients with clinically localised gastric and non-gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma.
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).
Bertoni
F
F
Istituto Oncologico della Svizzera Italiana, Divisione di Oncologia Medica, Ospedale San Giovanni Bellinzona, Switzerland.
Gisi
M
M
Roggero
E
E
Conconi
A
A
Mingrone
W
W
Cavalli
F
F
Zucca
E
E
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*
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm