The bcl-2 Oncogene in Hodgkin’s Disease Arising in the Setting

Expression of the bcl-2 proto-oncogene on chromosome 1 8 is deregulated by the 14; 18 chromosomal translocation, an abnormality that is consistently associated with follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHL). Because bcl-2 is believed to function by prolonging cell survival rather than by increasing proliferation, the presence of t(l4; 18) in Hodgkin’s disease (HD) would have profound implications for the pathogenesis of this neoplasm. We evaluated 32 cases of HD for t(l4;18) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). These results were correlated with expression of bcl-2 oncogenic protein by Hodgkin cells and with the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), as determined by immunohistochemistry or in situ hybridization. PCR provided evidence of t(l4; 18) in only 2 HD cases (6%), both of which were associated with a prior history of follicular lymphoma, and