[Cytogenetic studies in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (nHL)]

Cytogenetic examinations were carried out in 24 untreated patients with non-Hodgkin, non-Burkitt lymphoma. 10-20 G-banded metaphases, obtained from short-term cultures of unstimulated lymph++ node, bone marrow and blood cells were analyzed in each case. In 18 patients only, the obtained metaphases were suitable for cytogenetic analysis. In 11 patients (group A) karyotype was normal or only single, +non-clonal aberrations were observed. In 7 patients (group B) clonal aberrations were found, among them, in 3-structural changes of chromosome 1, but with different breakpoints: 1p31, 1p31, 1p36. The group of patients with chromosomal aberrations showed statistically significantly shorter survival time than the group without aberrations (p = 0.04). In the former group more patients had low grade malignancy lymphoma. Our observations confirm those data from the literature which indicate that the presence of chromosomal aberrations is a factor of poor prognosis, independent of other clinical and histopathological prognostic factors in non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.