Expression of high amounts of the CD117 molecule in a case of B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma carrying the t(14:18) translocation

Abstract

The c‐kit proto‐oncogen (CD117) has been described to be present in normal and neoplastic hemopoietic cells including both myeloid and lymphoid lineages. Among the normal lymphoid cells CD117 expression would be restricted to a small subset of NK‐cells, and to early T‐cell precursors and it is not expressed by normal B‐cells. Regarding chronic lymphoproliferative disorders the only data provided up to now suggests that CD117 expression is restricted to cases of Hodgkin's disease and anaplastic large‐cell lymphoma. In the present paper we describe a case of a B‐cell chronic lymphoproliferative disorder carrying the t(14:18) translocation as demonstrated by molecular studies, in which the flow cytometric immunophenotypic analysis of both peripheral blood and bone marrow samples revealed the expression of high amounts of the CD117 antigen in the surface of the clonal B‐cell population. Further studies are necessary to explore both the functional role of c‐kit expression in the neoplastic B‐cells from this patient and its potential utility for the diagnosis and follow‐up of patients with B‐cell non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma. Am. J. Hematol. 63:226–229, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Molecular cytogenetic analysis of cutaneous T-cell lymphomas: identification of common genetic alterations in Sezary syndrome and mycosis fungoides

“…Similarly, previous CGH studies have also identified gain of chromosome 4 in gliomas, neuroblastoma, medulloblastoma and osteosarcoma but only rarely in leukaemias and lymphomas 27 . Oncogenes on chromosome 4 include hPTTG , TBC1D1 , FGFR3 , WHSC1/MMSET , AF4 , TEK , KIT and PDGFRA , 28 and amplification of the PDGFRA and KIT oncogenes has been found in gliomas and B‐cell lymphoma 32,33 …”

KIT (CD117): A Review on Expression in Normal and Neoplastic Tissues, and Mutations and Their Clinicopathologic Correlation

“…In a large tissue array study, only 1 example of 70 grade I/grade II follicular lymphomas was the only KIT-positive B-cell lymphoma among over 800 cases. 145 In a separate report, one t(14;18)-positive follicular lymphoma was also reported as KIT positive, 146 and in one series 2 of 19 mantle cell lymphomas were positive. 147 Similar to B-cell lymphomas, B-lymphoid leukemias do not express KIT.…”

CD117 expression in diffuse large B‐cell lymphomas: Fact or fiction?

“…A single case of a CD117+ CD5+ B‐cell NHL carrying the translocation t(14; 18)(q32;q21) was reported by Bravo et al . but these authors did not detect CD117 expression in a survey of 50 low‐grade B‐cell chronic lymphoproliferative disorders that included CLL and lymphoplasmacytic lymphomas 40 . CD117 expression has also been observed in rare cases (1.17%) of mantle cell lymphoma 41 but was reportedly absent in an analysis of 13 Burkitt cell lines and seven Burkitt lymphomas 42 .…”