t(11;14)-positive mantle cell lymphomas exhibit complex karyotypes and share similarities with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Until now, few data on additional chromosomal aberrations in t(11;14)‐positive mantle cell lymphomas (MCLs) have been published. We analyzed 39 t(11;14)‐positive MCLs by either comparative genomic hybridization (CGH; n = 8), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with a set of DNA probes detecting the most frequent aberrations in B‐cell neoplasms (n = 12), or both techniques (n = 19). The t(11;14) was present in all cases. In 37 of 39 cases, chromosomal imbalances were found. In 27 cases, complex karyotypes, i.e., ≥ 3 aberrations, were identified. The most frequent aberrations were losses of 13q14–21 or 13q32–34 (27 cases), 9p21 (16 cases), and 11q22–23 (12 cases) and gains of 3q26–29 (19 cases), 8q22–24 (11 cases), and 18q21–22 (9 cases). In 26% of cases (7 of 27) analyzed by CGH, a total of 10 high‐level DNA amplifications were identified. Although in comparison with B‐cell chronic lymphopcytic leukemia (B‐CLL) MCL is characterized by a much higher complexity of chromosomal aberrations, there are striking similarities: 13q14 deletions were identified in more than 50% of both MCL and B‐CLL cases. In contrast, in our CGH database containing 293 B‐cell lymphomas, this aberration was found in only 11% of other nodal lymphomas. Even more strikingly, 11q deletions, which are present in 20%–30 % of MCL and B‐CLL, were found very rarely in other nodal B‐cell lymphomas (CGH: 1 of 208 cases; FISH: 1 of 69 cases). These data show that MCL is characterized by specific secondary aberrations and that there may be similarities in the pathogenesis of MCL and B‐CLL. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 27:285–294, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.