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The bcl-2/JH gene rearrangement is undetectable in Hodgkin's lymphomas: results from the German Hodgkin trial

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Abstract

Ninety-one Hodgkin's lymphomas (HD), 52 non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) and 33 specimens of non-neoplastic lymphatic tissues were investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of the bcl-2/JH gene rearrangement. The majority of the HD cases were drawn from the files of the German Hodgkin trial where diagnoses are established by a panel of four independent histopathologists. Using the very sensitive PCR method which detected 1 positive among 10000 negative cells, the bcl-2/JH gene rearrangement was found in 7/52 NHL and 3/16 tonsils with follicular hyperplasia, but in none of the 91 HD. The bcl-2 protein, however, was expressed by malignant cells of B and T cell lymphomas and by the giant tumour cells in 2/13 HD lymphocyte predominant, 11/28 HD nodular sclerosing I, 14/17 HD nodular sclerosing II, 10/27 HD mixed cellularity and 3/3 HD lymphocyte depleted. The bcl-2/JH rearrangement is thus independent of protein over-expression, the latter being found in all types of lymphomas. Our results do not confirm the findings of others who have detected the bcl-2/JH rearrangement in HD. These discrepancies may be explained by differences in choice of material, the gene rearrangement actually occuring in bystander cells but not in Reed-Sternberg or Hodgkin cells, or by contamination.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pathologisches Institut der Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover, Konstanty-Gutschow Strasse 8, D-30625, Hannover, Germany

    M. Nolte, M. Werner, R. von Wasielewski, L. Wilkens & A. Georgii

  2. Medizinische Klinik der Ludwig Maximilians Universität München, München, Germany

    W. Spann & B. Schnabel

  3. Zentrum für Pathologie der Universität Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany

    K. Hübner

  4. Pathologisches Institut der Universität Köln, Köln, Germany

    R. Fischer

Authors
  1. M. Nolte
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  2. M. Werner
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  3. R. von Wasielewski
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  4. L. Wilkens
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  5. A. Georgii
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  6. W. Spann
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  7. B. Schnabel
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  8. K. Hübner
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  9. R. Fischer
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Nolte, M., Werner, M., von Wasielewski, R. et al. The bcl-2/JH gene rearrangement is undetectable in Hodgkin's lymphomas: results from the German Hodgkin trial. Vichows Archiv A Pathol Anat 426, 37–41 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00194696

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00194696

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