The spectrum of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas with dual IgH-BCL2 and BCL6 translocations.

Abstract

Dual IgH/BCL2 and BCL6 translocations are rarely observed in B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (B-NHLs). We investigated the morphologic, phenotypic, and cytogenetic spectrum of B-NHL with such dual translocations. Dual IgH/BCL2 and BCL6 translocations were detected in follicular lymphomas (FLs) and diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs), representing 6.1% of 132 B-NHLs in our series, including 6 (11%) of 56 FLs (grades 1, 2, and 3a) and 2 (3%) of 76 DLBCLs; 33% of FLs with dual translocations had variant morphologic features. All dual-translocation FLs were CD10+/BCL6+/BCL2+/MUM1-, and the DLBCLs demonstrated "activated" germinal center (CD10+/BCL6+/MUM1+) and non-germinal center (CD10-/BCL6+/MUM1+) phenotypes. BCL6 translocations in all cases involved nonimmunoglobulin genes/loci. Mean chromosome abnormalities in dual-translocation FLs and DLBCLs did not differ from IgH/BCL2 FLs and DLBCLs. Detection of dual translocations predominantly in low-grade FLs suggests that BCL6 abnormalities are acquired early in the histologic evolution of a subset of IgH/BCL2-associated FLs.