Clinical significance of the t(14;18) and BCL2 overexpression in follicular large cell lymphoma

Follicular large cell lymphoma (FLCL) is an aggressive disease that respond s to anthracycline-containing chemotherapy much like diffuse large B-cell l ymphoma (DLBCL). Since the t(14;18) and/or bcl2 protein expression are less common in FLCL than in its low-grade counterparts, we sought to determine whether these features were predictive of survival as in DLBCL. We studied 50 patients with FLCL who were treated with curative intent. The t(14;18) w as found by cytogenetic analysis in 56% of the patients and bcl2 protein wa s expressed by the tumor cells in 73%, but neither was predictive of surviv al. However, abnormalities of chromosome 17p and the presence of trisomy 21 were adverse predictors of survival, as were a number of clinical features . We conclude that neither the absence of the t(14;18) nor the lack of bcl2 expression explain the good response of a subset of patients with FLCL to curative therapy.