Subclasses of 14q+ Marker–Positive Lymphoid Cancer

Abstract

To the Editor: Yunis et al. (Nov. 11 issue)¹ refer to the possibility that Burkitt's and pleomorphic non-Burkitt's lymphomas with a t(8;14)(q24;q32) represent variants of the same disease. We have proposed that the presence of a 14q translocation may be important for distinguishing among morphologically different but functionally comparable subgroups of lymphoid cancers.² In other words, a 14q translocation having a consistent break point, band q32, can be one indication of a common progenitor, and the variability in the 14q translocation and the subsequent chromosome changes can reflect the evolutional process of the progenitor cell.³ This postulation appears to be . . .