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Cardiac involvement and molecular staging in a fatal case of mycosis fungoides
Author(s) -
Servitje,
Limón,
Blanco,
Carmona,
|| Serrano,
Romagosa,
S. Gallardo,
Justin R. Garcia,
Peyrí
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
british journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.304
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1365-2133
pISSN - 0007-0963
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2133.1999.03053.x
Subject(s) - mycosis fungoides , pathology , autopsy , bone marrow , gene rearrangement , lymphoma , polymerase chain reaction , spleen , medicine , lymph , biology , gene , immunology , biochemistry
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of T‐cell receptor‐γ gene rearrangement was used for molecular staging in a case of primary cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma (CTCL) with fatal evolution. Although initial evaluation was negative for systemic involvement, the patient died due to heart failure. Autopsy findings revealed lymphomatous myocardial infiltration, but other tissues and organs examined, including lymph nodes, liver, spleen, lung and bone marrow, appeared to be free of disease. Molecular analysis from frozen samples obtained during the initial evaluation, as well as paraffin‐embedded material obtained during autopsy, revealed the presence of clonal rearranged bands in all tissues examined except the bone marrow. Subsequent hybridization of PCR products with a tumour‐specific oligoprobe confirmed the PCR results, suggesting widespread dissemination of the lymphomatous process. The use of molecular analysis can add significant information about the extent of disease in patients with CTCL and may be helpful in the establishment of therapeutic options.