title: Molecular characteristics and prognostic significance of Bcl-2/IgH gene rearrangement in Serbian follicular lymphoma patients.
abstract: Follicular lymphoma (FL) is characterized by the presence of a t(14;18) chromosomal translocation that results in overexpression of bcl-2 protein. Bcl-2/IgH gene rearrangement is detected in 80-90% of follicular lymphomas in Western countries. The aim of this study was to analyze the bcl-2/IgH rearrangement in FL lymphoma patients in Serbia, by PCR technique, correlate molecular findings with clinical characteristics and outcome and assess the prognostic significance of these rearrangements. One hundred-seven patients (median age, 54 years; male/female ratio:60/47) diagnosed with FL were included in the study. DNA samples were obtained from paraffin embedded lymphoid tissue of patients. Bcl-2/IgH rearrangement was assessed for the major breakpoint region (MBR), 5' MBR and the minor cluster region (mcr) breakpoints by PCR technique. We detected a t(14;18) in 81.3% (87/107) of patients. The distribution of bcl-2-IgH rearrangement was as follows: 88,5% (77/87) in MBR breakpoint, 10,35% (9/87) in 5' MBR, whereas mcr bcl-2-IgH rearrangement was observed in one patient (1.15%). No rearrangements were detected in remaining 20 patients (18.7%). This is the first analyses of the frequency of the bcl-2/IgH gene rearrangement in Serbian FL patients, as well as in Eastern European countries. There was no correlation between presence of bcl-2/IgH gene rearrangement and clinical outcome of disease. Incidence of bcl-2/IgH gene rearrangement in Serbian FL patients is relatively high, and similar to frequency in Western countries. Presence of this rearrangement in tumor tissue is not of prognostic significance.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Internal Medicine, Clinical Center Dr Dragisa Misovic, Belgrade. radojkov@eunet.yu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Radojkovic
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ristic
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Colovic
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cemerikic-Martinovic
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Radojkovic
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Krtolica
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D015326:Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte, Heavy Chain; D005803:Genes, Immunoglobulin; D019254:Genes, bcl-2; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008224:Lymphoma, Follicular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D019043:Vascular Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D015022:Yugoslavia