title: The frequency of B- and T-cell gene rearrangements and epstein-barr virus in T-cell lymphomas: a comparison between angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma and peripheral T-cell lymphoma, unspecified with and without associated B-cell proliferations.
abstract: We report on a series of 58 cases of angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AILT) and 59 cases of peripheral T-cell lymphoma, unspecified (PTCL-NOS). Subsets of cases from both diagnostic groups were complicated by associated B-cell proliferations, and we performed B- and T-cell clonality studies and in situ hybridization for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) to investigate the relationship between B-cell proliferation, B-cell clonality, and EBV. Using multiplex polymerase chain reaction assays based on the BIOMED-2 collaborative study, we detected TCRgamma T-cell clones in 78 and 81% of AILT and PTCL-NOS cases, respectively, and IGH B-cell clones in 34 and 35% of AILT and PTCL-NOS cases, respectively. The majority of cases contained EBV-positive cells, including 50% of AILT and 57% of PTCL-NOS cases, and cases with B-cell proliferations were more often EBV-positive. Although a relatively high rate of B-cell clonality has been shown for AILT, our findings for PTCL-NOS differ from previous reports in that B-cell clonality was relatively frequent. Overall, a positive B-cell clone correlated, in part, with the presence of a B-cell proliferation but not with EBV. Our findings demonstrate that B-cell clonality is a common finding in AILT and PTCL-NOS, and its presence should not negate the diagnosis established by morphologic, immunophenotypic, and clinical findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Dr., Room L235, Stanford, CA 94305-5324, USA. btan@stanford.edu
authors.forename: Brenton T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Roger A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Warnke
authors.forename: Daniel A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Arber
mesh_terms: D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002999:Clone Cells; D005260:Female; D015322:Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte; D015329:Gene Rearrangement, T-Lymphocyte; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000235:genetics; D016399:Lymphoma, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics*; D016411:Lymphoma, T-Cell, Peripheral / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics*; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta