Elastic transformation of mantle cell lymphoma: genetic evidence for a clonal link between the two stages of the tumour

Aims: The blastic variant of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL-BV) may develop thro ugh histological transformation of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), However, the clonal link between the tumour cells of MCL and transformed MCL-BV has not been established at the genetic level. To investigate this link longitudin al molecular genetic studies have been performed in two cases of MCL that s howed morphological transformation to MCL-BV; Methods ann results: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and nucleotide sequenc e analyses of the complementary determining region 3 (CDR) of the immunoglo bulin (Ig) heavy chain (H) gene were performed to identify clone-specific r earrangements. In both cases, nucleotide sequence analysis revealed common clone-specific IgH gene rearrangements in MCL and subsequent MCL-BV; Conclusions: These results provide genetic evidence for the common clonal o rigin of MCL and subsequently developed MCL-BV.