ASSOCIATION OF 6Q DELETIONS WITH AIDS-RELATED DIFFUSE LARGE-CELL LYMPHOMA

Deletions of chromosome 6 at band q27 represent the site of a putative novel tumor suppressor gene in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) of the i mmunocompetent host. Although several genetic lesions have been identi fied in AIDS-related NHL (AIDS-NHL), the involvement of 6q27 loss has not been investigated in this NHL category. In this report, we tested the presence of a 6q deletion at the molecular level in a panel of AID S-NHL representative of the major histologic types, including AIDS-rel ated small non-cleaved cell lymphoma (AIDS-SNCCL; n=10), AIDS-related diffuse large cell lymphoma (AIDS-ALCL; n=13) and AIDS-related anaplas tic large cell lymphoma (AIDS-ALCL; n=3). We report that 6q deletions occur in 5/26 AIDS-NHL tested (19.2%). Notably, 6q deletions do not ra ndomly distribute throughout the spectrum of AIDS-NHL histologic types , but rather selectively cluster with AIDS-DLCL (5/13; 38.4%). Overall , these data add to the notion that the molecular pathogenesis of AIDS -NHL is heterogeneous and that distinct genetic pathways associate wit h specific histologic categories of AIDS-NHL.