Costagliola, Antonello

Giantomassi, Federica

Goteri, Gaia

Leoni, Pietro

Stramazzotti, Daniela

Zizzi, Antonio

Firenze University Press: E-Journals

IJAE Vol. 115, n. 1/2 (Supplement), 2010
77
Human germinal center–associated lymphoma (HGAL) 
expression in b-cell follicles in hyperplastic lymph 
nodes and malignant follicular lymphomas
Federica Giantomassi1, Antonio Zizzi1, Antonello Costagliola1, Daniela Stramazzotti1, Pietro Leoni3 
and Gaia Goteri1
1 Department of Neurosciences, Section of Pathological Anatomy - Polytechnic University of Marche Region, Ancona 
Hospital, Italy 
2 Department of Molecular Pathology and Innovative Therapies, Section of Histology – Polytechnic University of 
Marche Region, Ancona, Italy 
3 Department of Medical and Surgical Science, Section of Hematology – Polytechnic University of Marche Region, 
Ancona Hospital, Italy
CD10, BCL6 and BCL2 are germinal center markers useful in recognizing malig-
nant lymphomas of follicular center cell derivation by means of immunohistochemistry. 
Recently, human germinal center–associated lymphoma (HGAL) gene (also known as 
germinal center expressed transcript-2 or GCET2) has been proposed as an alternative 
marker which can be detected in benign and malignant follicles. The aims of our study 
were to evaluate immunoreactivity for HGAL in 85 cases characterized by follicular le-
sions, which were all studied histologically, by immunohistochemistry for CD10, BCL6, 
BCL2 and Ki67 antigen expression, and molecularly with PCR for B cell clonality and 
BCL2 translocation. Cases were classified as reactive follicular hyperplasia (4 cases), or 
follicular lymphoma (81 cases, with the following subtypes: nodal-65 cases; cutaneous-6 
cases; associated with diffuse large B cell lymphomas-10 cases). Mean percentage of 
HGAL positive cells was 64±22 (range, 8-100); no differences were found between re-
active and neoplastic lesions or among different malignant subtypes or WHO grades. 
However, HGAL immunoreactivity appeared significantly lower when BCL6 was 
weakly expressed (P<0.05) and when BCL2 was highly expressed (P<0.05) and particu-
larly in cases with “in situ follicular lymphoma”; no correlations were found between 
CD10 and HGAL expression. In addition, HGAL expression was higher in cases with 
PCR monoclonality (P<0.05). These results confirm that HGAL can be used in the im-
munostaining of follicular lesions, although it does not have any role in the distinction 
between reactive conditions and malignant lymphomas. At the present time, there are 
not explanations for the direct correlation between HGAL and BCL6 and the inverse 
correlation between HGAL and BCL2; further studies are needed.
Key words
HGAL, germinal center, malignant lymphomas, histology, immunohistochemistry, PCR


Human germinal center–associated lymphoma (HGAL) expression in B-cell follicles in hyperplastic lymph nodes and malignant follicular lymphomas

http://www.fupress.net/index.php/ijae/article/download/8838/8224

Human germinal center–associated lymphoma (HGAL) expression in B-cell follicles in hyperplastic lymph nodes and malignant follicular lymphomas

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Firenze University Press: E-Journals