T-cell receptor clonality analysis with the Biomed-2 PCR as a diagnostic tool in cutaneous T-cell lymphomas

Abstract

Early and precise diagnosis of cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL) is a challenge. The identification of T-cell receptor (TCR) clonality plays an important part in the diagnostic process. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based clonality assessment following the Biomed-2 protocol is an everyday gold standard method in the assessment of the T-cell receptor clonality. We aimed to assess the sensitivity and specificity of this diagnostic method, based on a complete dataset collected over a 5-year period from 2012 to 2017 in our specialized tertiary center.