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T(14;18) TRANSLOCATION: A POTENTIAL MARKER OF HIGH‐GRADE TRANSFORMATION IN HCV‐ASSOCIATED MALT LYMPHOMAS
Author(s) -
Libra Massimo,
Malaponte Grazia,
Bruni Bibiana,
Skarmoutsou Evangelia,
Vella Nadia,
Mazzarino Clorinda,
Stivala Franca
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.23.1_supplement.740.3
Subject(s) - malt lymphoma , chromosomal translocation , lymphoma , gastrointestinal tract , medicine , biology , immunology , pathology , gene , biochemistry
MALT lymphomas account for approximately 8% of non‐Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs) and occur mostly in the gastrointestinal tract, often as a result of chronic stimulation of B‐cells triggered by autoimmune processes or persistent infection, such as Helicobacter pylori or Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection. Among the several genetic abnormalities involved in MALT development, we have recently demonstrated that t(14;18) translocation in MALT lymphomas clusters among HCV‐infected patients. It has been shown that t(14;18) translocation is also detected in diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) originated from low‐grade B‐cell lymphoma. MALT lymphomas may undergo histological transformation to high‐grade lymphoma. Therefore, we hypothesized that t(14;18) may play a role in the MALT lymphoma progression. To this aim we analyzed t(14;18) translocation in tumor DNA samples obtained from metachronous biopsy specimens from patients with MALT lymphoma that developed DLBCL in the presence and absence of HCV infection. The results of the present study confirm that t(14;18) translocation clusters among HCV‐associated lymphomas and show for the first time that the condition of Bcl‐2‐translocated cases in MALT lymphomas renders them prone to tumour progression in high‐grade.