title: Quantitative PCR detection of t(11;14) bcl-1/JH in mantle cell lymphoma patients: comparison of peripheral blood and bone marrow aspirate samples.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) featured by participation of the lymph nodes, spleen, blood and bone marrow with a short remission period to standard therapies and a median overall survival of 4-5 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, we compare the levels of bcl-1/JH fusion products detected by q-PCR in the concurrent peripheral blood (PB) and bone marrow (BM) aspirate samples from 7 patients with MCL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In patients with moderate to high levels of bcl-1/JH copies, the results of q-PCR analysis of PB and BM aspirate samples correlate well. In patients with high levels of bcl-1/JH copies, instead, PB levels are a good indication of tumor burden. Finally, in patients with low levels of bcl-1/JH copies, the t(11;14) may be detected by identification of neoplastic cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that PB can be reliably used in place of BM aspirate both for detection of translocation status during minimal residual disease monitoring and for a possible molecular relapse, especially in those patients who have moderate to high levels of bcl-1/JH copies. If these results will be confirmed on a wider number of MCL patients, future study will be required to address the issue.
authors.affiliation: Pathology Unit, A.O. Sant'Anna e San Sebastiano, Caserta, Italy. salvo-dimartino@libero.it.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Di Martino
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Catapano
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Siesto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Paolo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pugliese
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Morelli
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fiorica
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Varriale
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Di Francia
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abbadessa
mesh_terms: D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D019940:Genes, bcl-1 / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D020522:Lymphoma, Mantle-Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012074:Remission Induction; D014178:Translocation, Genetic