The role of molecular analyses of B-cell and T-cell clonality in the study of B-cell lymphomagenesis

While the simple detection of B-cell clonality does not imply B-cell malignancy, comprehensive analyses of B-cell clonality are crucial to investigate the pathobiology of B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders. Our recent studies inpatients with Sjogren's syndrome have highlighted how multiple molecular analyses of B-cell clonality (Southern blot, polymerase chain reaction, single strand conformation polymorphism, and DNA sequence analysis) in pre-lymphomatous lesions may be of great value in helping to define the stages of progression towards low-grade malignancy. The study of T-cell expansion may also be important in investigations of the pathobiology of the different stages of B-cell lymphoproliferation (fully benign, pseudolymphomatous, or definitely malignant), which may still be T-cell- and antigen/autoantigen-dependent.