FOLLICULAR MANTLE LYMPHOMA - CLINICOPATHO LOGICAL STUDY OF 11 CASES AND STUDY OF CELLULAR PROLIFERATIVE INDEXES

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present was to study the biologic behavior of the lymphomas of the follicular mantle by analysis of different ind exes of neoplastic cell proliferation and their relation with the clin ical symptoms, prognosis and survival of the patients. METHODS: Light microscope, ultrastructural, and frozen and paraffin immunohistochemic al studies were performed including the proliferative markers Ki-67 an d PC10, flow cytometry and analysis of cell cycle in biopsy samples. C linical data of 11 patients were collected in addition to therapeutic response and survival. RESULTS: Lymphoma of the follicular mantle is c onstituted by small sized cell elements with a variable pattern of tum oral growth in the lymph nodes. In normal lymphocytes of the follicula r mantle the immunophenotype shows expression of IgM + IgD and a light chain in the cell surface. From a clinical point of view, massive spl enomegaly and disseminated stage are the most outstanding characterist ics. One third of the cases analyzed presented an aneuploid neoplastic population. According to the PC10 marker, the proliferative index ran ged from 2.9 to 14.7 % of neoplastic cellularity (mean 7.0). The perce ntage of cells in the phases S, G2 and M of the cell cycle by flow cyt ometry varied from 14 to 35 (mean 23 %). Neither the cell ploidy nor t he tumoral proliferative index were related with the survival of the p atients (53 +/- 51 months). CONCLUSIONS: Lymphoma of the follicular ma ntle is a clinical pathological entity of low biologic aggressivity. C ell aneuploidy or ploidy and the tumoral proliferative index did not e stablish differences in prognosis or survival in this series.