Recurrent chromosomal abnormalities in lymphomas in fine needle aspirates of lymph node

The detection of specific chromosomal abnormalities is important in the diagnostic workup of aggressive lymphomas, giving its impact on the treatment strategies and prognosis. This has been accomplished by using the fluorescent in situ hybridisation method (FISH) performed on fine needle aspiration (FNA) specimens what is attractive in the diagnosis of lymphoma in the comparation with other methods for collecting samples. The cytogenetic analyses were performed in series of 80 patients with lymphoma (43 women and 37 men, median age 48, range 3-90 years). In our series 89.0% (71) of the specimens yield sufficient numbers of analysable metaphases, comprising 63 non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) and 8 examples of Hodgkin disease (HD). Among 71 successful karyotyped specimens 58 (82.0%) showed clonal karyotypic abnormalities. Numerical changes in 4, structural changes in 20 and both and numerical with structural changes in 30 of 54 NHL cases. Trisomies 3, 7, 8, 12, 18, X and monosomies 1 were most common numerical abnormalities. The NHL cases were typically characterised by structural rather than numerical aberrations with chromosome arms 1p/q, 3p/q, 6q, 11q, 17p and 14q most frequently involved. The expected translocation (14;18) (q32;q21) in 8 and t(8;14) (q24;q34) in 6 cases, both translocations at the same time in three cases, complex rearrangement with chromosome 8, 14, and 18, namely t(8;14;18) (q24;q32;q21) in one case, t(11;14) (q13;q32) in three and one case with translocation 14q32 with chromosome 3q27, 6q and 14q32 were found. In 28 of 54 (52%) NHL cases t(14;v) was present. Four abnormal clones detected in Hodgkin disease were typically consisted of a small percentage of metaphases. The use of FISH method enable the detection of loss or gain of genetic material and reveal rearrangements unsuspected by conventional cytogenetics in 34 (48.0%) cases.