[PCR definition of B-cell clonality: which electrophoretic method is better]

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Oncology
• Molecular Diagnostics

Background:

• B-cell clonality determination is crucial for diagnosing lymphoproliferative disorders.
• Various electrophoretic methods exist, each with potential diagnostic efficacy.
• Comparing these methods aids in selecting optimal diagnostic tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the diagnostic efficacy of B-cell clonality determination using different electrophoretic methods.
• To evaluate the reliability and sensitivity of agarose electrophoresis and SSCP for B-cell clonality detection.

Main Methods:

• B-cell clonality was assessed in 89 patients with B-cell lymphoma, remission, reactive processes, and other lymphomas using agarose electrophoresis and SSCP.
• Immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangements were analyzed using primers for the FR2 region.
• Analysis included comparisons with healthy donors and patients with reactive processes.

Main Results:

• Agarose electrophoresis and SSCP showed coinciding results.
• B-cell clonality was detected in 87.5% of B-cell tumors.
• The method identified clonality with >5.9% clonal cells (mononuclear) or >20% (B-lymphocytes).
• One case among reactive processes, non-B-cell tumors, and healthy donors showed clonality.

Conclusions:

• Agarose electrophoresis is a simple, reliable, cost-effective, and reproducible method for differentiating tumor from reactive lymphoproliferation.
• The sensitivity of agarose electrophoresis is insufficient for verifying tumor remission or assessing minimal residual disease.