Chromosome 14 translocations in non-Burkitt lymphomas.

Chromosome studies were performed on malignant cells obtained from 27 patients with non-Burkitt lymphomas. A marker chromosome affecting the long arm of No. 14 (14q+) was the single most frequent abnormality and was noted in 17 of these patients. The frequency of the 14q+ marker varied with the type of lymphoma. For patients with malignant lymphoma, histiocytic, the frequency was 5 of 8; for mixed-cell type, 1 of 3; for poorly differentiated lymphocytic, 8 of 8; for well-differentiated lymphocytic, 0 of 3; for lymphoblastic, 0 of 1; for Hodgkin's disease, 2 of 3; and for mycosis fungoides, 1 of 1. The donor chromosome involved in the 14q translocation was identified in 12 cases; certain chromosomes appeared to be affected more frequently than others. Although the break point was band 14q32 in most cases, the exact location of the receptor site on 14q was not always consistent. The distal part of 14q24 was also involved as a receptor site in at least one translocation. These findings suggest that, in some types of lymphoid malignancy, cells with a 14q translocation have a proliferative advantage over cells with other chromosome rearrangments. The presence of the 14q translocation may be important in the future for the distinction among morphologically different, but functionally comparable, subgroups of lymphoid malignancies.