FREQUENT ASSOCIATION OF T(3-14) OR VARIANT WITH OTHER LYMPHOMA-SPECIFIC TRANSLOCATIONS

Malignant lymphomas (ML) with t(3;14) or variant t(2;3) and t(3;22) ha ve recently been recognized. These translocations have been shown to a ssociate predominantly with B-cell diffuse large cell lymphoma (DLCL) and less frequently with follicular lymphoma (FL). The molecular alter ations associated with these translocations involve one of the immunog lobulin gene (Ig) loci and a recently cloned gene, bcl-6 located at 3q 27 which codes for a zinc-finger protein that may function as a transc ription factor. We have identified by cytogenetic analysis 22 cases of ML with a 3q27/Ig translocation. The pathologic diagnoses of these ca ses include DLCL, FL, small non-cleaved non-Burkitt lymphoma and chron ic lymphocytic leukaemia. Molecular analysis confirmed a bcl-6 rearran gement in 10/12 cases tested. The karyotype in 5/22 cases revealed the t(3;14) or variant in association with another lymphoma-specific tran slocation, t(14;18) in three cases and t(8;14) in two cases. ML with d ual translocations that implicate Ig genes in the deregulation of prot o-oncogenes are being increasingly recognized and may represent distin ct subtypes or 'hybrid' forms of malignant lymphoma.