Abstract
Follicular lymphoma (FL) is an indolent lymphoma with a long median survival. Transformation to a more aggressive histology (TLy) is a major cause of mortality. The critical events leading to TLy are unknown. We assessed the prognostic significance of secondary cytogenetic alterations on overall survival (OS) and transformation from 210 diagnostic FL biopsies. We analyzed serial and transformed karyotypes for recurrent alterations that predict transformation. Over 10 years, 31% of cases developed TLy. The only alteration in diagnostic karyotypes that correlated with an inferior OS was an additional X chromosome in males only (P = 0.005) suggesting that other mechanisms including epigenetic factors and over-expression of genes on the X chromosome may play a role in FL pathogenesis. In transformed karyotypes, 8q24 (MYC) translocations were common (14/37) and resulted in a median survival of 3 months posttransformation (P = 0.01). In serially obtained biopsies (28 pts), 43% of the later biopsies lacked the cytogenetic alterations found in the original FL karyotype, suggesting that karyotypic progression of FL is not strictly linear in all cases. Consequently, studying clonal evolution in FL using serial biopsies may not represent the full complexity of genetic alterations leading to transformation.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
