Immunoglobulin Heavy Chain Gene Rearrangement in Non B-cell Haematological Malignancies

OBJECTIVE: Clonality detection through amplifying immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) gene rearrangements by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a useful tool in diagnosis of various B-lymphoid malignancies. Immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangement can be an optimal target for clonality detection in B-lymphoid malignancies. In the present study, we evaluated the presence of IGH gene rearrangement in non B-cell haemato-oncology patients including T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL), acute myeloblastic leukaemia (AML) and biphenotypic leukaemia.

MEHTODS: We studied 18 cases of haematological malignancies which comprised five patients with T-ALL, 12 patients with AML and one with biphenotypic leukaemia.

RESULTS: We found that the incidence of IGH gene rearrangement in T-ALL and AML were three (60%) and two (16.7%), respectively. The patient with biphenotypic leukaemia was negative for IGH gene rearrangement.

CONCLUSION: Immunoglobulin gene rearrangement, which occurs in almost all haematological malignancies of B-cell lineage, also presents in a very small proportion of T-cell or myeloid malignancies.