A. Johnson et al., INCIDENCE AND PROGNOSTIC-SIGNIFICANCE OF T(14-18) TRANSLOCATION IN FOLLICLE CENTER CELL LYMPHOMA OF LOW AND HIGH-GRADE - A REPORT FROM SOUTHERN SWEDEN, Annals of oncology, 6(8), 1995, pp. 789-794
Background: The t(14;18)(q21;q32) is the most common recurrent genetic
defect in follicle center cell lymphoma (FCC). Conflicting reports ex
ist in regard to a possible prognostic significance for the translocat
ion. Patients and methods: In a single center, 102 patients with eithe
r low-grade (n = 50) or high-grade (n = 52) FCC (Kiel classification)
and a median follow-up of 82 months were retrospectively studied to de
termine survival in relation to t(14;18) as shown by either PCR of the
bcl-2 rearrangement in paraffinized tissue or karyotype analysis. Res
ults: t(14; 18) was detected in 30 of 50 (60%) low grade FCC and in 12
of 52 (23%) high-grade FCC. The presence of the t(14; 18) was not rel
ated to morphologic bone marrow involvement or other clinical paramete
rs, but it was related to age: in low-grade FCC, patients with t(14;18
) were an average of 17 years younger (p = 0.002) than those without t
he translocation. In the group with high-grade histology, 30% survived
beyond 60 months regardless of t(14;18) status (p = 0.92). Patients w
ith low-grade histology and t(14;18) fared better than those without,
irrespective of age (p = 0.01). No significant difference in disease-f
ree survival related to t(14;18) was found in either low-or high-grade
FCC. Conclusions: The incidence of t(14;18) is in accord with that of
other European reports. T(14;18) does not define a prognostic subset
of high-grade FCC, but is significantly correlated with a better survi
val in low-grade FCC. The association of t(14;18) with younger age and
indolent lymphoma is perplexing in light of recent findings of an age
-related increase in t(14;18) in normal subjects.