Analysis of T-cell receptor and immunoglobulin gene rearrangements in the diagnosis of Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The results of genotypic analysis of 29 cases of malignant lymphoma are reported and the application of this technique for differentiating between Hodgkin's disease (HD) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is evaluated. Five cases with a differential diagnosis which included HD and NHL were analysed. These results are compared with those obtained for six B-cell NHLs, nine T-cell NHLs, and nine cases of HD. This report suggests that gene rearrangement analysis is useful in some cases in which the differential diagnoses includes HD and NHL as the absence of gene rearrangements is more consistent with a diagnosis of HD than of NHL. Two monoclonal antibodies reactive with the variable region of T-cell receptor beta-chain and molecular probes to the relevant variable region genes were used to assist in the diagnosis of T-cell lymphoma. This report confirms that genotypic analysis is useful diagnostically when the results are assessed in the context of the histopathological findings.