Frequency and evaluation of t(14;18) translocation in Sjogren's syndrome

In most cases of follicular lymphoma, t(14;18) chromosomal translocation ca n be detected in lymphocytes of peripheral blood and bone marrow. Neverthel ess, certain other types of diseases can also be characterised by the prese nce of the translocation. Patients of Sjogren's syndrome have an increased frequency of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, e.g. follicular lymphoma: i n turn, they may have translocation-bearing cells. One hundred Sjogren's sy ndrome patients were screened using a nested polymerase chain reaction tech nique to identify whether they had the translocation in their peripheral bl ood lymphocytes. Five percent of that population revealed a temporary or lo ng-lasting presence of the translocation, sometimes even in the lymphocytes from bone marrow. Our results indicate that in addition to the conventiona l diagnostic methods of lymphoma, there are certain other factors, e.g. the duration of the presence of t (14;18) translocation and the source of lymp hocytes, that should be considered for successful early diagnoses and perha ps for treatment of the lymphoma in the Sjogren's patients.