Comparison of germinal center markers CD10, BCL6 and human germinal center-associated lymphoma (HGAL) in follicular lymphomas

• Main Authors: Rubini Corrado, Stramazzotti Daniela, Giantomassi Federica, Costagliola Antonello, Zizzi Antonio, Lucarini Guendalina, Goteri Gaia, Leoni Pietro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2011-10-01
• Series: Diagnostic Pathology
• Online Access: http://www.diagnosticpathology.org/content/6/1/97

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recently, human germinal center-associated lymphoma (HGAL) gene protein has been proposed as an adjunctive follicular marker to CD10 and BCL6.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Our aim was to evaluate immunoreactivity for HGAL in 82 cases of follicular lymphomas (FLs) - 67 nodal, 5 cutaneous and 10 transformed - which were all analysed histologically, by immunohistochemistry and PCR.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Immunostaining for HGAL was more frequently positive (97.6%) than that for BCL6 (92.7%) and CD10 (90.2%) in FLs; the cases negative for bcl6 and/or for CD10 were all positive for HGAL, whereas the two cases negative for HGAL were positive with BCL6; no difference in HGAL immunostaining was found among different malignant subtypes or grades.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Therefore, HGAL can be used in the immunostaining of FLs as the most sensitive germinal center (GC)-marker; when applied alone, it would half the immunostaining costs, reserving the use of the other two markers only to HGAL-negative cases.</p>