Genomic profiles in B cell lymphoma.

Chromosome translocations found in B cell lymphomas generate typical genome profiles that are characteristic of each disease entity. The mechanisms of lymphomagenesis have been investigated with respect to the involvement of deregulated genes in tumor development, as characterized by the promotion of cell proliferation and the blockage of cell differentiation and anti-apoptosis. It is now well known that chromosome translocation alone does not induce tumor formation. New technology such as array CGH and expression profiling introduced as a result of the human genome project introduced a new paradigm from which to understand the molecular mechanisms of lymphoma development. Analyses with this new technology revealed that genome profiles of disease entities are characteristic and differ from disease to disease, although the genome profile of each patient with the same disease entity varies significantly given the recurrent genetic alterations frequently found. These apparent paradoxical findings are likely to be the cause of heterogeneity of the clinicopathological features associated with the same disease entity. Based on these findings, the future prospect and direction of lymphoma research will be discussed.