A tandem triplication, trp(1)(q21q32), in a patient with follicular lymphoma: a case study and review of the literature

A 1q triplication is a rare karyotypic event in hematologic malignancies, with 26 cases of 1q triplication reported in the literature. Although 1q duplication or triplication is present with a high incidence in Burkitt lymphoma and Fanconi anemia, there have been no detailed reports of an association between non-Burkitt type lymphomas and 1q triplication. Presented here is the case of a 69-year-old man with follicular lymphoma (FL) and 1q triplication, with a review of the pertinent literature. The patient was diagnosed with FL with bone marrow involvement; his bone marrow chromosome study revealed 50,XY,trp(1)(q21q32),+3,+add(3)(q21),+7,+9,add(13)(p11.2)[11]/51∼52,idem,+19,+22[8]/46,XY[3]. Review of the Mitelman Database of Chromosome Aberrations in Cancer revealed 7 previous cases of non-Burkitt type lymphoma (including FL) with 1q triplication. On the basis of these eight cases, we conclude that 1q triplication represents a rare secondary genetic event with prognostic significance in patients with FL or other non-Burkitt types of lymphoma. Further studies are needed to investigate these rare 1q triplication in hematologic malignancies.