Phenotypic heterogeneity in three cases of lymphoid malignancy with chromosomal translocations in 14q11.

Lymphoid malignancies bearing translocations involving the region 14q11 are thought to have a T-cell phenotype because their pathogenesis is postulated to involve the aberrant juxtaposition of DNA sequences active in T-cell differentiation (T-cell antigen receptor genes) and proto-oncogenes. We present here three lymphoid malignancies with translocations involving 14q11. Although one had a T-cell phenotype, the other two had B-cell lineage phenotypes. Our findings confirm that not all lymphoid malignancies with translocations involving 14q11 represent T-cell clonal expansions.