4E-BP1 expression was also demonstrable in all 4 lymph nodes with in situ or partial involvement by follicular lymphoma and in all 12 cases of BCL2-negative lymphoma.
BCL-2 is also overexpressed in other lymphoma types without the t(14;18), including marginal zone B-cell lymphoma, because of other, poorly understood mechanisms.
Bcl-2 protein overexpression was associated with inferior outcome in patients with germinal center subtype lymphoma, but multivariate analysis showed that this was dependent on BCL2 translocations.
BCL-2/IgH transcripts were demonstrated in 16 follicular center cell lymphoma cases (five high, 11 low) and were not present in any of the five non-neoplastic lymph nodes.
A bcl-2/JH gene fusion was detected only in three lymphoma subgroups: 13 of 33 centroblastic-centrocytic (39%), 2 of 37 centroblastic (6%), and 2 of 27 immunocytic (8%) were positive.
A case-control study of tobacco use and other non-occupational risk factors for lymphoma subtypes defined by t(14; 18) translocations and bcl-2 expression.
A distinctive form of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is the double-hit lymphoma, with most cases exhibiting a combined MYC and BCL2 rearrangement, leading some hematopathologists to propose the term MYC/BCL2lymphoma.
A graft-versus-lymphoma effect was demonstrable and quantitative PCR for bcl-2/IgH may allow better accuracy in scheduling post-allograft rituximab and/or donor lymphocyte infusions.
Accordingly, BCL2 mutations can affect antiapoptotic Bcl-2 function, are associated with increased activation-induced cytidine deaminase expression, and correlate with increased risk of transformation and death due to lymphoma.
All 18 pretransformation follicular lymphoma specimens displayed at least one immunoglobulin gene and BCL-2 rearrangement in common with the corresponding histologically progressed lymphoma, indicating a clonal relationship between the original follicular lymphoma and the histologically transformed lymphoma.
All patients from Group A showed IHC positive reaction on FCL remnant (small cleaved cells) but only 2 (18%) were positive in DLBCL areas, suggesting either the loss of the bcl-2 expression on the transformed lymphoma, or, alternatively, the development of a second disease when the first lymphoma transforms.
Although Bcl-2 protein can prevent or delay apoptosis of lymphoma and leukemia cells, exposed to multiple cytotoxic agents, its antagonism of GC-induced apoptosis appears most critical in conferring resistance to corticosteroids.
An antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) complementary to the first six codons of the Bcl-2 mRNA, G3139 (oblimersen sodium; Genasense), has been shown to downregulate Bcl-2 and produce responses in a variety of malignancies including drug-resistant lymphoma.