Academic Journal
Main Category: Lymphoma / Leukemia / Myeloma
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 13 Dec 2011 - 9:00 PST
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A 41-year-old woman with chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia received a bone marrow transplant and subsequent leukocyte infusion from her sister to control her leukemia, however seven years on, both sisters developed follicular lymphoma. Cases whereby donors pass on a malignancy to their recipients are well documented and usually of minimal risk to those in the transplant community, however this case presented scientists with the opportunity to study genetic abnormalities, which led to follicular lymphoma in both cases. Following standard chemotherapy, both sisters are currently in remission.
David Weinstock, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute said:
"We were able to combine clinical activity with laboratory expertise to gain a real insight into the biology involved."
Funded by a Stand Up To Cancer Innovative Research Grant, Weinstock published the case study in a recent issue of Cancer Discovery, the latest journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, and together with his team, they presented their findings at the 2011 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego on Dec. 12, 2011.
Weinstock and his team sequenced the DNA of samples derived from both sisters. They also sequenced a frozen sample of the leukocyte infusion to establish the genetic lesions that led to the lymphoma.
Their findings revealed that both sisters had identical BCL2/IGH and V (D) J rearrangements, and also found 15 mutations present in both women's lymphomas.
Using ultra-deep sequencing, they managed to recover 14 of these mutations from the donor lymphocyte infusions. This suggests that a lymphoma ancestor who already contained these mutations, was passed from donor to recipient seven years before becoming clinically active.
According to Weinstock, this kind of knowledge could pave the way to finding an early treatment of follicular lymphoma.
Weinstock declared:
"Currently the only curative approach is stem cell transplantation, but the more we understand about the genetic aberrations that lead to follicular lymphoma, the better we'll be able to manage the disease."
Written by Petra Rattue
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today
Source: American Association for Cancer Research
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13 Dec. 2011.
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