Association of t(14;18) translocation with HCV infection in gastrointestinal MALT lymphomas

Background/Aims The gastrointestinal tract is the most common site of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma development. Among the several genetic abnormalities involved in MALT development, the impact of t(14;18)-(IgH;Bcl-2) translocation has only been marginally analyzed. To this end, a consecutive series of gastrointestinal MALT lymphomas were analyzed. Methods t(14;18)-(IgH;Bcl-2) translocation, at the major break point region (MBR) and minor cluster region (mcr), were assessed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in tumour DNA obtained from 40 consecutive gastrointestinal MALT lymphoma patients. Five out of the 40 patients studied were positive for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Results Two out of 40 cases analyzed turned out to carry this chromosome aberration. Interestingly, both lymphomas bearing t(14;18) translocation derived from patients with chronic HCV infection. Nucleotide sequence analysis confirmed that Bcl-2 was joined to JH6 in both MALT lymphomas. Moreover, the heavy chain gene combinations detected in both MALT lymphomas were those usually found in the HCV-associated lymphomas. Conclusions Our data support the notion that among gastrointestinal MALT lymphomas, t(14;18)-(IgH;Bcl-2) translocation clusters in HCV-positive patients sustaining the role of HCV infection in the lymphoma development.