title: [Practical aspects and clinical value of t(14;18) monitoring in peripheral blood of the follicular lymphoma patients].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Evaluation of practical value of monitoring t(14:18) in peripheral blood in follicular lymphoma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  t(14;18) was tested in 115 follicular lymphoma patients by methods: FISH, nested and multiplex PCR of blood, bone marrow and lymph node specimens. We tested the patients with rearrangement MBR quantitatively by real-time PCR. Testing intervals of t(14;18) in peripheral blood were 1 month during treatment, 2-3 months during the first year after the end of treatment, then every 4 to 6 months. Patients were clinically examined in the same intervals and regular restaging was done by CT/PET. Each patient was evaluatee separately. Total detection of t(14;18) was 97% regardless tissue and methods of detection, FISH was superior to PCR (95% vs. 72%). The higher number of copies were observed in lymph nodes in comparison to bone marrow (p = 0.036) and peripheral blood (p = 0.016); 46/115 (40%) patients were positive for MBR, we followed up behaviour of t(14;18) in peripheral blood in 33 of them in long intervals (>6 months, med. 33 months). Molecular and clinical courses correlated in 20/33 (61%) patients, 7/33 (21%) clinically relapsed in lasting molecular remission. We found very short interval to clinical relaps in 7 cases of molecular relapses (0-5 months, median 3 months). We could not define "threshold quantity" of clinically important molecular relaps. Lasting molecular remission was associated with clinical in about 60% cases; lasting molecular activity corresponded with clinical relaps in 86% patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  t(14;18) is highly associated with follicular lymphoma. In practice, monitoring of t(14;18) is feasible only in part of patients. Even if there is some correlation of clinical and molecular course, monitoring of t(14;18) in blood bears only limited prognostic value for the concrete patient. The treatment of patient can not be accomplished on the basis of these results only.
authors.affiliation: Interní hematoonkologická klinika FN, Brno. aoboril@fnbrno.cz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Janíková-Oborilová
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mayer
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dvorákova
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mejstrík
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Navritíl
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vásová
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kren
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matuska
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002883:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 14 / Q000235:genetics*; D002887:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 18 / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008224:Lymphoma, Follicular / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012008:Recurrence; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014178:Translocation, Genetic