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Previous Volume 309:590-594 September 8, 1983 Number 10 Next

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Abstract

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is usually a monoclonal B-cell neoplasm that occurs almost exclusively in middle-aged and elderly adults. We observed a rapidly progressive case of the disease in a 10-year-old girl. The leukemic cells bore surface IgM and IgD immunoglobulins of the kappa-light-chain type. Karyotyping of the abnormal cells revealed an unusual translocation [t(2;14) (p13;q32)], with break points at or near the kappa-light-chain and heavy-chain gene loci. Translocations involving the immunoglobulin gene loci may be important in the pathogenesis of some cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, as they appear to be in Burkitt's lymphoma.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Fell, H., Smith, R., Tucker, P. (1986). Molecular analysis of the t(2;14) translocation of childhood chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Science 232: 491-494 [Abstract]  
• Morton, C., Duby, A., Eddy, R., Shows, T., Seidman, J. (1985). Genes for beta chain of human T-cell antigen receptor map to regions of chromosomal rearrangement in T cells. Science 228: 582-585 [Abstract]