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Centrosome abnormalities in ALK-positive anaplastic large-cell lymphoma

Leukemia volume 18, pages 1910–1911 (2004)Cite this article

TO THE EDITOR

It has been proposed that centrosome defects may play an important role in the development of genetic abnormalities in a wide range of solid and haematological neoplasms and thus contribute to oncogenesis.1 The majority of normal interphase cells contain one centrosome, which is comprised of two centrioles surrounded by pericentriolar material. Uncontrolled splitting of the centriole pair, cytokinesis failure after centrosome duplication and overexpression of pericentriolar material have all been suggested as mechanisms by which extra copies of centrosomes may arise.2 An excess number of centrosomes has been described in several neoplasms, and may lead to the formation of defective mitotic spindles and a subsequent increase in chromosome segregation errors at mitosis. According to the published criteria, centrosomes are considered to be abnormal if three or more are present, if they are morphologically abnormal or if they have a diameter at least twice that of the centrosomes in non-neoplastic control cells from the same case.2 Centrosome aberrations have been detected in several subtypes of B-cell lymphomas including mantle cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, as well as in acute myeloid leukaemia3, 4 (Kramer et al., Blood 2001;98: 332a, abstract).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Human Genetics, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Germany

    R A Ventura, J I Martin-Subero & R Siebert

  2. Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    R A Ventura & D Y Mason

  3. Department of Surgery, Universitätsklinikum, Ulm, Germany

    U Knippschild

  4. Department of Pathology, BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    R D Gascoyne

  5. Inserm U 563 Laboratoire D'Anatomie Pathologique, CHU-Purpan, Place du Docteur Baylac, Toulouse, France

    G Delsol

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  1. R A Ventura
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  2. J I Martin-Subero
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  4. R D Gascoyne
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  5. G Delsol
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  6. D Y Mason
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  7. R Siebert
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Correspondence to R A Ventura.

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Ventura, R., Martin-Subero, J., Knippschild, U. et al. Centrosome abnormalities in ALK-positive anaplastic large-cell lymphoma. Leukemia 18, 1910–1911 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2403470

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2403470

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