Small B-cell neoplasms with typical mantle cell lymphoma immunophenotypes often include chronic lymphocytic leukemias.
Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are CD5+ small B-cell neoplasms (SBCNs) with overlapping features. Flow cytometric immunophenotyping is often used to help differentiate CLL from MCL, and a characteristic CLL phenotype is considered essentially diagnostic. However, previous studies have not specifically examined how well a typical MCL immunophenotype distinguishes MCL from CLL. We identified 28 cases of SBCN with typical flow cytometry-determined MCL immunophenotypes consisting mostly of peripheral blood and bone marrow specimens. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis indicated that 57% (16/28) had t(11;14) translocations consistent with MCL, while 32% (9/28) lacked t(11;14) translocations but harbored other cytogenetic abnormalities commonly found in CLL. There were no significant morphologic or immunophenotypic differences between the t(11;14)-positive and t(11;14)-negative cases. Our findings suggest that many blood-based SBCNs with typical MCL immunophenotypes likely represent cases of phenotypically atypical CLL, which would have important clinical implications.
Ho
Albert K
AK
Department of Pathology, University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
Hill
Sally
S
Preobrazhensky
Sergey N
SN
Miller
Mark E
ME
Chen
Zhong
Z
Bahler
David W
DW
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018956:CD5 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D020522:Lymphoma, Mantle-Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D018956:CD5 Antigens