A deregulation of MYC pathway might represent one of the main transformation events in the pathogenesis of a subset of RS clonally related to the previous CLL.
Because the numbers of peripheral blood lymphoma cells were independent of tumor mass and of c-myc gene transcripts expressed, peripheral blood lymphocytosis might more likely reflect homing processes than proliferative activity in CLL.
Accordingly, siRNA-mediated downregulation of either <i>EZH2, MYC</i> or <i>IGF1R</i> and treatment with EZH2 and MYC pharmacological inhibitors in the HG3 CLL cell line induced a significant reduction in PI3K pathway activation.
Translocations involving an overexpressed c-myc gene are also found in AIDS-associated lymphoma or in T cell leukaemias, or they develop during tumour progression of a low grade B cell malignancy into a high grade B cell tumour in an additional cytogenetic change.