Microdissection and gene rearrangement analysis of paraffin-embedded specimens of orbital malignant lymphoma

摘要

Purpose: To determine whether a definite diagnosis of malignant lymphoma can be made from paraffin-embedded archived orbital specimens by gene rearrangement analysis using microdissection and polymerase chain reaction (PCR).Methods: Specimens from four patients with histopathologically diagnosed orbital malignant lymphoma were examined. The malignant cells were microdissected off the paraffin-embedded specimens. DNA was extracted from the cells, and the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) gene was amplified by PCR. Gene rearrangements were detected by using primers for the third framework (FR3A), the second framework (FR2A), and the complementary determining region 3 (CDR3). Translocation of the B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (bcl-2) gene was also examined.Results: Malignant cells were present on the slides of the paraffin-embedded specimens of three of four cases. The specimens from these three cases showed IgH rearrangements for FR3A, FR2A, and CDR3. A bcl-2-associated translocation was also detected in one case.Conclusions: Gene rearrangement analysis is applicable to paraffin-embedded archived orbital specimens to confirm a diagnosis of malignant lymphoma. The advantage of this method is that only a small specimen is needed because the detection sensitivity is high. (C) Japanese Ophthalmological Society 2004.