Molecular Biology Techniques in Malignant Lymphoma

Abstract

Southern blotting and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are the two major molecular biology techniques currently used in the diagnosis of lymphoma. The use of these techniques to detect chromosomal translocations in follicular lymphoma, Burkitt's lymphoma, and small cell centrocytic lymphoma is discussed. The immunoglobulin and T cell receptor rearrangements are increasingly used to assess monoclonality in lymphoid malignancy, and extreme sensitivity of the PCR enables the study of small amounts of tissue, such as lymph node aspirates and paraffin sections. PCR can also detect rare malignant cells in residual disease. (The J Histotechnol 15:213-218, 1992)

Keywords:

• breakpoints
• Burkitt's lymphoma follicular lymphoma
• gene rearrangement
• malignant lymphoma
• molecular biology
• polymerase chain reaction
• Southern blotting
• translocations