All Patients with Persistent Polyclonal B Cell Lymphocytosis Present Bcl-2/Ig Gene Rearrangements

The bcl-2 gene belongs to a class of oncogenes involved in the inhibition of apoptosis. Most follicular lymphomas are associated with the t(14;18) translocation that juxtaposes the bcl-2 gene located on chromosome 18 to the immunoglobulin gene locus located on chromosome 14. Consequently, the bcl-2 gene is overly expressed and leads to an accumulation of mature clonal B cells. Prolonged survival of the B cell clone appears to be the early event in tumorigenesis, creating an increased risk of cumulative mutations. Interestingly, bcl-2/Ig gene rearrangements may be identified in nearly 50% of normal individuals but the outcome of normal individuals carrying high levels of t(14;18) is not well defined. Persistent polyclonal B cell lymphocytosis (PPBL) is a unique polyclonal lymphoproliferative disorder mostly restricted to women. We have recently demonstrated that PPBL is also associated with multiple bcl-2/Ig gene rearrangements. In this report, we have extended our analysis to additional patients and demon...