Hematology Reports (Aug 2011)

Development of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in a patient with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia/ lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma: clonal identity between two B-cell neoplasms

  • Masayuki Shiseki,
  • Akihiro Masuda,
  • Norimichi Watanabe,
  • Masami Fujii,
  • Tomofumi Kimura,
  • Kentaro Yoshinaga,
  • Naoki Mori,
  • Masanao Teramura,
  • Toshiko Motoji

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4081/hr.2011.e10
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 3, no. 2
pp. e10 – e10

Abstract

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Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (WM)/ lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL) is an indolent mature B-cell neoplasm. In rare cases of WM/LPL, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) develops as a result of histologic transformation. In this report, we present a case of DLBCL developing in a patient with WM/LPL. Combination chemotherapy for DLBCL was effective and complete remission was eventually achieved. We attempted to determine the clonal relatedness between WM/LPL and DLBCL in the patient by analyzing complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) in the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene. A common CDR3 sequence was found in tumor cells of DLBCL and those of WM/LPL, indicating that tumor cells of DLBCL are clonally identical to those of WM/LPL. Therefore, in the present case, DLBCL is developed from WM/LPL cells by clonal evolution.

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