Prognostic and predictive significance of the bcl-2/IgH translocation in malignant follicular lymphomas.

Background: The t(14;18) translocation, which leads to an overproduction of the bcl-2 protein, supposedly occurs in almost all follicular lymphomas (FL) and can be detected by FISH methods or by PCR. Its detection is useful in monitoring the response to therapy and in assessing minimal residual disease in bone marrow. Recently it was observed that the translocation could become negative after treatment.