POLYMERASE-CHAIN-REACTION DIAGNOSIS OF T(14-18) FROM PARAFFIN-EMBEDDED TISSUES FIXED WITH HOLLAND BOUIN FLUID

The t(14;18) translocation and its molecular counterpart, the bcl-2/Ig H gene rearrangement, are highly characteristic of follicular non-Hodg kin lymphomas. The identification of the tumor-specific t(14;18) clone is mandatory for any molecular studies on residual disease because of the existence of circulating t(14;18)-bearing benign cells. In this s tudy, the ability to specifically polymerase chain reaction (PCR) ampl ify t(14;18) with DNA purified from tissues fixed with Holland Bouin f luid is demonstrated. The specificity of the PCR product was confirmed by internal probe hybridization and with comparison of the nucleotidi c sequences of this PCR product with those obtained from the correspon ding frozen material. Although the sensitivity of the technique is 50% to 60%, paraffin-embedded tissues fixed with bouin fluid may be a goo d alternative to frozen tissues to detect t(14;18) in tumors.