ANALYSIS OF CLONALITY IN CYTOLOGIC MATERIAL USING THE POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION (PCR)

Immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) gene rearrangement analysis was perfo rmed on 27 fine needle aspiration (FNA) specimens (13 reactive hyperpl asia, 11 B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (B-NHL), one Hodgkin's disease and two suspicious of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma). Satisfactory amplificat ion was achieved in 23/27 cases. A polyclonal pattern was seen in 14 c ases (11 reactive hyperplasia, one B-NHL, one suspicious of lymphoma, one Hodgkin's disease). A monoclonal band was seen in nine cases (eigh t B-NHL, one reactive hyperplasia). Amplification was unsuccessful in four cases. Clonal analysis by PCR-based IgH gene rearrangement analys is can be successfully applied to FNA material and can be useful in di agnosis, but the results must be interpreted in conjunction with morph ology and other ancillary information.