title: Confirmation of immunoglobulin heavy chain rearrangement by polymerase chain reaction using surgically obtained, paraffin-embedded samples to diagnose primary palate mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma: A case study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Intraoral mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is a rare lymphoma that has a good prognosis if diagnosed correctly and treated in time.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 64-year-old woman was referred to our department with asymptomatic swelling of the left hard palate. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a mass in the left hard palate. We performed a pre-surgery biopsy; however, it was difficult to differentiate MALT lymphoma from other reactive lymphoproliferative disorders via gross or microscopic examination. Although the lesion was completely excised, histological findings did not allow a definitive diagnosis due to an absence of visible monoclonality. We then performed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using DNA extracted from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded surgical samples. Capillary electrophoresis showed monoclonal peaks of immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangement, thus facilitating a definitive diagnosis of MALT lymphoma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PCR technique is rapid, accurate, and enables a definitive diagnosis without relying on traditional histological or molecular diagnostic techniques, such as Southern blotting.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We suggest that, if histological examination is ambiguous or fresh material is insufficient, PCR can be performed using paraffin-embedded materials to definitively diagnose low-grade lymphomas, such as MALT lymphoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry and Oral Surgery, Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: shigehiroabe@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Shigehiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry and Oral Surgery, Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yokomizo
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry and Oral Surgery, Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Comprehensive Pathology, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kouhei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
keywords: Immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangement; Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma; Oral cavity; Polymerase chain reaction
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