THE USEFULNESS OF A RAPID PCR METHODOLOGY TO DETECT REARRANGED IG HEAVY-CHAIN GENES IN LYMPHOPROLIFERATIVE DISEASE IN A DIAGNOSTIC SETTING

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify the DNA fragments of the framework 3 region (FR3) of the immunoglobulin heavy (IgH) chai n genes, from the tissue of 66 patients with B-lymphoproliferative dis eases and 74 patients with other malignant diseases, reactive or norma l tissue. The assay performed with 77% sensitivity, 100% specificity a nd 89% efficacy. In addition, the PCR assay cost less than 25% of the cost of performing Southern blot analysis oi tumor DNA, which has been the test performed to date, and had a turn around time of 24 hrs rath er than the 7-14 days required to obtain a result from Southern blot a nalysis. These results suggest that PCR analysis of B-cell lymphoproli ferative disease is superior to Southern blot analysis, in the setting of a diagnostic laboratory.