11q13 rearrangement in B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Translocation t(11;14)(q13;q32) and/or 11q13 rearrangements have been reported in various B cell immunoproliferative disorders. They appear to be frequent in mantle cell zone lymphoma (MZL) and rare in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). Discrimination between MZL and B-CLL is sometimes uncertain on the basis of morphology and immunophenotype. To evaluate the incidence of 11q13 rearrangements in B-CLL, purified B cells from 59 untreated patients were studied by cytogenetic methods after short term stimulated culture. Abnormalities at band 11q13 were found in 2 cases only. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) study confirmed del(11)(q13) in one case and showed translocation t(11;13) in another one. Thus this rearrangement appears to be very rare in B-CLL and its finding should lead to a careful search for the characteristic features of MZL, namely, morphology, the expression of CD5 without CD23, high density monotypic SIg, together with t(11;14) and/or bcl-1/IgH rearrangement.