Structural abnormalities of chromosome 7q in chronic lymphoproliferative disorders.

Structural abnormalities of 7q are common in myeloid malignancies but rarely reported in chronic lymphoproliferative disorders. 7q abnormalities were found in 29 of 796 patients (3.6%) with chronic lymphoid malignancies. The most common association was found in splenic lymphoma with villous lymphocytes (SLVL) in which 8 of 31 cases (26%) has one or more abnormalities of 7q. The most common abnormalities were deletions involving 7q32 and deletions or translocation of 7q22. There was no correlation between the type of lymphoid disorder or clinical course and specific structural abnormalities. We postulate that genes important in the pathogenesis of SLVL may reside on 7q22 and/or 7q32.