Investigation of the molecular changes during chemotherapy in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

In the present study the changes in the detection rate of bcl-2 and IgH gene rearrangements in relation to chemotherapy and therapeutic response in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma have been investigated. Immunoglobulin gene rearrangements were detected in almost all patients during all stages of treatment. Persistence of bcl-2 rearrangements reflected the effect of chemotherapy better. Bcl-2 rearrangements were initially detected in 64 % of the patients. Cells bearing the translocation disappeared during therapy in a significant group of cases. In 10 patients bcl-2-rearranged cells were detected for varying periods of time. However, no correlation was found between the molecular persistence or disappearance of cells as detected by PCR and the therapeutic response or recurrence rates.