title: Detection of bcl-2/IgH rearrangements by quantitative-competitive PCR and capillary electrophoresis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  PCR is the primary method for detecting minimal residual disease in hematologic cancers. One such gene target is the bcl-2/immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) translocation found in a majority of cases of follicular lymphoma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We report an accurate method for quantitative detection of the bcl-2/IgH translocation marker of follicular lymphoma in a series of patients in various stages of remission and relapse who had been treated with a combination of ifosfamide, mitoxantrone, and etoposide (MINE) chemotherapy and monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody (Rituximab). The approach uses seminested PCR followed by analysis of the products on a fluorescent capillary electrophoresis system. The quantitation of bcl-2/IgH translocation-positive cells was sensitive and reproducible, capable of detecting as few as five malignant cells out of 300,000 normal cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Quantitative PCR enables one to monitor the kinetics of tumor reduction in patients treated with MINE chemotherapy in combination with Rituximab.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Telatar
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Grody
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Emmanouilides
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D019075:Electrophoresis, Capillary / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D006801:Humans; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000235:genetics*; D008224:Lymphoma, Follicular / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000235:genetics*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D000069283:Rituximab; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D017931:DNA Primers; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D000069283:Rituximab