Rearrangements on chromosomes 7 and 14 with breakpoints at 7q35 and 14q11 in angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy and IBL-like T-cell lymphoma.

In this report we discuss some cases of AILD and IBL-like T-cell lymphomas and attempt to clarify the cytogenetic relationship between these complex disease states. During the period 1980-1987 we have studied No. 6 patients affected with AILD, three of which showed final evolution into Immunoblastic T-cell lymphoma. Cytogenetic studies, carried out on surgical lymphonodal material with histological diagnosis of AILD and leukemic cells obtained from the peripheral blood at the time of diagnosis, were analysed with IBAS 2000 for a computerized analysis, according to ISCA 1978 criteria. We have found similar translocations in three of our patients with AILD and terminal T-cell immunoblastic lymphoma, occurring between chromosomes 7 and 14 with breakpoints at 7q35 and 14q11. The arising of T-cell lymphoma in patients with AILD seems to be related to the presence of clonal cells with abnormal 7:14 translocation, which represent a very sensible marker of clonality desides of T-cell maturational lineage. In our opinion, the forms of AILD with these cytogenetic aberrations are pre-lymphomatous lesions. On the contrary, the lack of such rearrangements is indicative of non-neoplastic patterns.