Determination of B-cell clonality in Hodgkin’s lymphoma

B-cell origin of Hodgkin’s lymphoma was demonstrated using microdissection and single cell PCR of Reed-Sternberg and Hodgkin cells (R. Kuppers et al., 1994). We assessed B-cell clonality in the biopsy samples of 35 patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma without microdissection. B-cell clonality was evaluated using PCR amplification by IGH (FR1, FR2, FR3) and IGK (Vk-Jk, Vk/intron-Kde) gene rearrangements with multiplex BIOMED-2 primer sets and subsequent fragment analysis using ABI PRISM 3130 Genetic Analyzer (Applied Biosystems). Clonality was found in 11 out of 35 (31,5 %) formalin fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) lymph node specimens from patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In 11 cases when both FFPE and fresh frozen samples were available, we observed the similar results with the specimens of both types. No correlation was found between the presence of B-cell clones and age, histological type of Hodgkin lymphoma, type of tumor cell growth (syncytial or diffuse), number of eosinophils in tissues, or CD20/CD15 expression on the surface of tumor cells. The high incidence of B-cell clonality determined in Hodgkin’s lymphoma biopsy samples makes the B-cell clonality assay unsuitable for differential diagnosis between Hodgkin’s lymphoma and B-cell lymphomas.

• Yu.V. Sidorova Hematology Research Center, Moscow, Russian Federation ; ФГБУ «Гематологический научный центр» МЗ РФ, Москва, Российская Федерация
• N.V. Ryzhikova Hematology Research Center, Moscow, Russian Federation ; ФГБУ «Гематологический научный центр» МЗ РФ, Москва, Российская Федерация
• S.Yu. Smirnova Hematology Research Center, Moscow, Russian Federation ; ФГБУ «Гематологический научный центр» МЗ РФ, Москва, Российская Федерация
• E.E. Nikulina Hematology Research Center, Moscow, Russian Federation ; ФГБУ «Гематологический научный центр» МЗ РФ, Москва, Российская Федерация
• B.V. Biderman Hematology Research Center, Moscow, Russian Federation ; ФГБУ «Гематологический научный центр» МЗ РФ, Москва, Российская Федерация
• A.M. Kovrigina Hematology Research Center, Moscow, Russian Federation ; ФГБУ «Гематологический научный центр» МЗ РФ, Москва, Российская Федерация
• T.N. Moiseeva Hematology Research Center, Moscow, Russian Federation ; ФГБУ «Гематологический научный центр» МЗ РФ, Москва, Российская Федерация
• N.N. Sharkunov Hematology Research Center, Moscow, Russian Federation ; ФГБУ «Гематологический научный центр» МЗ РФ, Москва, Российская Федерация
• A.B. Sudarikov Hematology Research Center, Moscow, Russian Federation ; ФГБУ «Гематологический научный центр» МЗ РФ, Москва, Российская Федерация

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