Blastic mantle cell lymphoma associated with Burkitt-type translocation and hypodiploidy.
Vaishampayan UN, Mohamed AN, Dugan MC, Bloom RE, Palutke M.
Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Medicine, Wayne State University/Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit, MI, USA.

Two elderly men with stage IV mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) rapidly developed a leukaemic phase with unusually high blast counts that proved fatal. One lymph node biopsy showed diffuse MCL, the other blastic morphology. In addition to t(11;14), there were t(8;14) and t(1;19) in case 1 and dup(8)(q24q13) in case 2. Fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed genomic fusion of IgH/MYC genes in case 1 and an extra copy of C-MYC gene in case 2. The genomic alteration of C-MYC oncogene is probably implicated in the blastic transformation and aggressive behaviour of the disease.

PMID: 11722412 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]