Marina Narbaitz

Publications (23)30.43 Total impact

• Article: Non-Hodgkin lymphomas of the oral cavity in AIDS patients in a reference hospital of infectious diseases in Argentina: report of eleven cases and review of the literature.

  Marcelo Corti, Maria Florencia Villafañe, Ruben Solari, Luis De Carolis, Diana Cangelosi, Jose Santoro, Ricardo Schtirbu, Daniel Lewi, Alicia Bistmans, Marina Narbaitz, Patricia Baré
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  ABSTRACT: Extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) were commonly described in AIDS patients and are related with an atypical morphology and aggressive clinical course. In this single institutional study we evaluated the epidemiological, clinical, immunological, virological, histopathological and the outcome of eleven HIV/AIDS patients with oral cavity lymphomas (OCL). Nine were males and seven intravenous drug abusers. The median of age was 33 years and the median of CD4 T cell counts at the time of diagnosis was 97 cell/µL. The majority of tumors presented as large and ulcerated masses involving the gingiva, the palate and the jaw. Six of these tumors were diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL); three were Burkitt's lymphomas and the final case was a plasmablastic lymphoma. An association with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was found in three of the ten tested cases by in situ hybridization (EBER 1 and 2 probes) and immunohistochemistry (LMP-1). Human herpes virus-8 (HHV-8) was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in only one neoplasm. Six patients died without specific treatment; four received chemotherapy and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and three of them presented a prolonged survival. Combination of HAART and chemotherapy should modify the poor prognosis of AIDS patients with OCL.
  Journal of Gastrointestinal Cancer 09/2011; 42(3):143-8.
• Article: Biclonal follicular lymphoma: histological, clinical and molecular characteristics.

  María Fernanda Noriega, Carlos De Brasi, Marina Narbaitz, Andrea Rodríguez, Irma Slavutsky
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  ABSTRACT: An abstract is unavailable. This article is available as HTML full text and PDF.
  Pathology 01/2010; 42(6):598-601. · 2.38 Impact Factor
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  Available from: scielo.org.ar

  Article: [AIDS related lymphomas: Histopathological subtypes and association with Epstein Barr virus and Human Herpes virus type-8].

  Marcelo Corti, Marcela de Dios Soler, Patricia Bare, María F Villafañe, Miguel De Tezanos Pinto, Raúl Perez Bianco, Marina Narbaitz
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  ABSTRACT: Non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) of the B-cell type are the second most common neoplasm among patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and AIDS. Here, we evaluated 48 cases of AIDS-related lymphomas (ARL) diagnosed at the Histopathological Division of the Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas of the National Academy of Medicine. Five were females and 43 were males with a median of age of 37 years at the time of the diagnosis. Micrometer sections were prepared and stained with hematoxilin-eosin; immunohistochemical examination for the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was carried out in 48/48 cases. Additionally, biotinilated oligonucleotides were used to determine the presence of DNA of the Human Herpes virus type-8 (HHV-8) in 14/14 biopsy smears corresponding to plasmablastic lymphomas (PL). All were fenotype B cell lymphomas with an aggressive course and advanced neoplasm disease at the time of diagnosis. Virological findings showed the strong association between EBV and AIDS-related NHL. According to the histopathological subtype, the EBV genome was detected in 16/21 (76%) diffuse large B cell lymphomas, 1/3 Burkitt lymphoma and 3/4 (75%) of primary central nervous system lymphomas. Globally, EBV genome was detected in 20/28 NHL of this series. Detection of HHV-8 was negative in all cases of PL. Hodgkin lymphoma were more frequent in males 18/20 (90%), with an aggressive clinical course and a significant predominance of the subtypes associated with worse prognosis (90% of cases). We detected a significant association between EBV and HL (90% of cases). We consider that all cases of AIDS related lymphomas should be assessed for the presence of EBV because its presence may play a role in the prognosis.
  Medicina 01/2010; 70(2):151-8. · 0.47 Impact Factor
• Article: Analysis of telomere length in mantle cell lymphoma.

  Alejandra S H Cottliar, Julieta Panero, Estela Pedrazzini, Maria Fernanda Noriega, Marina Narbaitz, Andrea Rodríguez, Irma Slavutsky
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  ABSTRACT: Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a well defined lymphoid neoplasm genetically characterized by the t(11;14)(q13;q32). Telomeres play an essential role in preserving chromosomal integrity and genomic stability; their shortening can lead to telomere dysfunction and chromosomal instability, a critical factor in cancer development. In this study, telomere length (TL) measured by terminal restriction fragments (TRF) assay in DNA samples of tumor cells from 20 patients with MCL was evaluated. Results were correlated with clinical, morphologic and cytogenetic characteristics. In all cases, the presence of the CCND1/IGH@ rearrangement was confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization and/or PCR analysis. TL in total MCL patients revealed a mean TRF value (4.51 +/- 0.79 kb) significantly shorter than those observed in controls (7.49 +/- 1.94 kb) (P < 0.001); 30% of patients had TL shorter than 4.0 kb. TRF length was not associated with patients age (P = 0.07; r = 0.17) nor with sex (females: 4.33 +/- 0.51 kb and males: 4.57 +/- 0.85 kb; P = 0.63). No significant differences were found between patients studied at diagnosis (13) (4.44 +/- 0.81 kb) respect to those analyzed at relapse (7) (4.63 +/- 0.82 kb) (P = 0.53). In addition, we compared patients with (4.84 +/- 1.09 kb) and without (4.40 +/- 0.68 kb) complex karyotypes (P = 0.45) and cases with typical morphology (4.48 +/- 0.79 kb) vs. blastoid variant (4.63 +/- 1.04 kb) (P = 0.83), and no significant differences between them were found. Although the number of cases of our series is not large, our results showed that TL reduction in MCL is independent of the clinical characteristics, morphology and karyotype.
  European Journal Of Haematology 07/2009; 83(5):433-8. · 2.61 Impact Factor
• Article: [Ileocolic intussusception due to a large B cell lymphoma in a patient with AIDS].

  Marcelo Corti, María F Villafañe, Omar Palmieri, Darío Aisencher, Mirna Sawicki, Ricardo Schtirbu, Marina Narbaitz, Marcela de Dios Soler
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  ABSTRACT: Adult intussusception is rare. Here, we describe a case of an AIDS adult patient who developed an ileocolic intussusception secondary to a large B cell lymphoma of the cecum. Surgical findings included the ileon free of the tumor and invaginated within the cecum with infiltrating neoplasm. Surgical treatment included the resection of the right hemicolon because of the tumor, located in the cecum, causing intussusception. The English and Spanish literature is reviewed.
  Acta gastroenterologica Latinoamericana 04/2008; 38(1):51-5.
• Article: Extranodal oral non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. A retrospective study of 40 cases in Argentina.

  Alicia Keszler, María J Piloni, María L Paparella, Marcela de Dios Soler, Patricia Cabrera Ron, Marina Narbaitz
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  ABSTRACT: A retrospective study was conducted of extranodal oral Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas diagnosed at the Surgical Pathology Laboratory of the School of Dentistry at Buenos Aires University, Argentina, between 1985 and 2004. The 40 cases found represent 0.2% of the oral biopsies diagnosed during that time and 4.6% of malignant neoplasias. Overall mean age of patients was 49.4 years, and frequency was greater in males. 80% affected soft tissues. Prevalent location was gingival, followed by palate. Intraosseous cases were more frequent in mandible (75%) than in upper maxilla. 100% of the cases were phenotype B, with a higher frequency of high-grade aggressiveness. The most common histological type was Diffuse Large Cell Lymphoma. 60% of the Plasmablastic Lymphomas in the series came from HIV+ patients. Evolution time prior to consultation was 1 to 3 months in 57.7% of the cases.
  Acta odontológica latinoamericana: AOL 02/2008; 21(1):43-8.
• Article: Central nervous system involvement in Hodgkin's lymphoma associated with Epstein-Barr virus in a patient with AIDS: case report and review of the literature.

  Marcelo Corti, María F Villafañe Fioti, Claudio Yampolsky, Ricardo Schtirbu, Marina Narbaitz
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  ABSTRACT: Intracranial and intraspinal involvement is a rare complication of Hodgkin's disease. We report a case of a patient with diagnosis of AIDS and Hodgkin's lymphoma who developed brain and spinal involvement at the time of the relapse of the neoplasm disease. Mixed cellularity histology was the subtype of Hodgkin's disease in our patient; we identified the Epstein-Barr virus genome in the Reed-Sternberg cells by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization.
  Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases 01/2007; 10(6):403-5. · 1.00 Impact Factor
• Article: [Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas of the digestive tract and anexal glands in AIDS patients].

  Marcelo Corti, María F Villafañe Fioti, Daniel Lewi, Ricardo Schtirbu, Marina Narbaitz, Marcela de Dios Soler
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  ABSTRACT: Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is the second most common neoplasm among patients with AIDS. One of the major clinical characteristics of AIDS-associated NHL is the high frequency of extra-nodal involvement, including the gastrointestinal tract, at initial presentation. From January 1997 to December 2004, 8 cases of NHL of the digestive tract and anexal glands (liver and parotid gland) were observed at the HIV/AIDS division of the Infectious Diseases FJ Muñiz Hospital from Buenos Aires, Argentina. All patients were staged by computed tomography scanning and bone marrow examination, in addition to the endoscopic evaluation. All patients were males; 4 were heterosexual, 2 homosexual, and 1 were a hemophilic and an intravenous drug abuser. The median age was 42 years and the median CD4 T cell count was 87 cells/uL at the time of the diagnosis of neoplasm. No patient was receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) at lymphoma diagnosis. The global incidence of AIDS-associated lymphomas (central nervous system lymphomas, non-Hodgkin lymphomas and Hodgkin lymphoma) during the time of study was 2,9% (54 cases); 17 patients (32%) had diagnosis of systemic NHL; 10 (58,8%) of them were extranodal at the onset of clinical symptoms and 8 (80%) involvement the digestive tract and anexal glands (parotid gland, cavum, esophagus, stomach, duodenum, the right colon in 2 patients and the liver), as primary NHL of high grade and "B" phenotype. All patients presented "B" symptoms at the time of diagnosis. Primary duodenal lymphoma was the only Burkitt lymphoma of this serie and we detected the Epstein-Barr virus genome in the biopsy smears of this tumor and in the hepatic lymphoma. Four patients were treated with systemic chemotherapy with granulocitic growth factor support plus highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART); 2 of them (cavum and one of the colon) had a prolonged survival with immune reconstitution during 5 and 6 years, respectively, after the diagnosis. The median survival of the patients, which received HAART plus chemotherapy, was 33 months. The median survival of the others patients was 90 days. NHL of the gastrointestinal tract is a severe complication of advanced HIV/AIDS disease. Early diagnosis followed by chemotherapy plus HAART are necessary to improve the prognosis and the survival of these patients.
  Acta gastroenterologica Latinoamericana 01/2007; 36(4):190-6.
• Article: Association between telomere length and BCL2 gene rearrangements in low- and high-grade non-Hodgkin lymphomas.

  Alejandra Silvina Haydeé Cottliar, María Fernanda Noriega, Marina Narbaitz, Andrea Rodríguez, Irma Rosa Slavutsky
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  ABSTRACT: Telomere length based on terminal restriction fragment (TRF) assay was evaluated in cells of bone marrow, lymph node, or both from 53 non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients: 44 with follicular lymphoma (FL) and 9 with secondary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (S-DLBCL) to FL. The TRF data were correlated with BCL2 gene rearrangement evaluated by nested and long-distance polymerase chain reaction approaches. Peripheral blood cells from 12 healthy donors were studied as controls. Both groups of NHL patients revealed significant telomere shortening compared with controls (8.50 +/- 0.50 kb; P < 0.001), with significantly shorter TRFs in S-DLBCL (3.49 +/- 0.26 kb) than in FL cases (4.09 +/- 0.12 kb; P = 0.047). Patients carrying BCL2 gene rearrangements showed longer telomere length (4.19 +/- 0.14 kb) than those without (3.51 +/- 0.14 kb; P = 0.05). Among patients with FL, telomere length was shortest in patients without t(14;18), intermediate when breakpoints occurred in the minor breakpoint cluster region (3.97 +/- 0.33 kb), and greater when breakpoints occurred in the major breakpoint region (MBR) (4.24 +/- 0.15 kb), with significant differences between MBR and BCL2-negative cases (P = 0.033). Our findings support the existence of alternative genetic pathways involved in the origin of these FL subsets. Even though the number of S-DLBCL cases was small, they showed the shortest telomere length, suggesting that this parameter reflects another genetic alteration involved in the progression from FL to a higher-grade lymphoma.
  Cancer Genetics and Cytogenetics 11/2006; 171(1):1-8. · 1.39 Impact Factor
• Article: Inversions of chromosomes 2 and 6 in mantle cell lymphoma. Cytogenetic, FISH, and molecular studies.

  Estela Pedrazzini, Roxana Cerretini, María Fernanda Noriega, Marina Narbaitz, María Fernanda Palacios, Pedro Negri, Raquel Bengió, Irma Slavutsky
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  ABSTRACT: Inversions are infrequent events in hematological malignancies. We here report the cytogenetic, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and molecular studies of 2 patients diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) that showed inversions of chromosomes 2 and 6 as part of complex karyotypes. Both patients showed a cytogenetically identical inv(6)(p23q11) detected as a secondary aberration. In addition, both patients had a derivative chromosome 2 which originated by partial deletion of the short arm and a pericentric inversion with different breakpoints on the long arm: der(2)del(2)(p21)inv(2)(p21q11) and der(2)del(2)(p21)inv(2)(p21q13), respectively. The presence of t(11;14)(q13;q32) was confirmed by interphase FISH and by molecular study. Residual normal cells were found in both cases. The patients showed a different clinical evolution with a poor outcome for one case and a favorable course of the disease for the other one. The review of the literature in MCL showed a total of 9 inversions affecting different chromosomes. Considering that inversions are very infrequent events in MCL, our findings could be important for detecting genes potentially involved in development and/or progression of this aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma subtype.
  Cancer Genetics and Cytogenetics 07/2006; 167(2):164-7. · 1.39 Impact Factor
• Article: New chromosome abnormalities and lack of BCL-6 gene rearrangements in Argentinean diffuse large B-cell lymphomas.

  Roxana Cerretini, Maria F Noriega, Marina Narbaitz, Irma Slavutsky
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  ABSTRACT: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common form of non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Cytogenetic studies have revealed a broad spectrum of clonal genetic abnormalities and complex karyotypes. The purpose of this study was to contribute to the understanding of the genomic alterations associated with this group of lymphomas. Cytogenetic, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and molecular analyses were performed in 30 cases with DLBCL: 20 de novo DLBCL (dn-DLBCL) and 10 DLBCL secondary to follicular lymphoma (S-DLBCL). A total of 37 different structural chromosomal rearrangements were found: 27% translocations, 54% deletions, and 19% other alterations. Chromosomes 8, 6, 2, and 9 were the most commonly affected. Interestingly, translocation t(3;14)(q27;q32) and/or BCL-6 gene rearrangements were not observed either by cytogenetic studies or by FISH analysis. Fifteen novel cytogenetic alterations were detected, among them translocations t(2;21)(p11;q22) and t(8;18)(q24;p11.3) appeared as sole structural abnormalities. Translocation t(14;18)(q32;q21) and/or BCL-2-IGH gene rearrangements were the genomic alterations most frequently observed: 50% of S-DLBCL and 30% of dn-DLBCL. Deletions del(4)(q21), del(6)(q27), del(8)(q11), and del(9)(q11) were recurrent. The most common gains involved chromosome regions at 12q13-q24, 7q10-q32, and 17q22-qter; 6q was the most frequently deleted region, followed by losses at 2q35-qter, 7q32-qter, and 9q13-qter. Four novel regions of loss were identified: 5q13-q21, 2q35-qter (both recurrent in our series), 4p11-p12, and 17q11-q12. These studies emphasize the value of combining conventional cytogenetics with FISH and molecular studies to allow a more accurate definition of the genomic aberrations involved in DLBCL.
  European Journal Of Haematology 05/2006; 76(4):284-93. · 2.61 Impact Factor
• Article: [Hodgkin lymphoma associated with human immunodeficiency virus type-1 infection: epidemiologic, clinic and histopathologic findings in 18 patients].

  Marcelo Corti, María F Villafañe, Norberto Trione, Marina Narbaitz
  Medicina Clínica 02/2005; 124(3):116-7. · 1.38 Impact Factor
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  Available from: scielo.org.ar

  Article: [Molecular analysis of telomere length in follicular lymphomas. Its participation in tumor progression].

  Alejandra S H Cottliar, María F Noriega, Marina Narbaitz, Irma R Slavutsky
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  ABSTRACT: Telomeres are essential for maintaining chromosomal integrity and stability. We studied here telomere length (TL) in bone marrow and/or lymph node from 36 patients: 29 with follicular lymphoma (FL) at diagnosis and 7 with diffuse large B cell lymphoma secondary to FL (S-DLBCL). TL was evaluated using terminal restriction fragments (TRF) assay. BCL-2 gene rearrangement was analyzed by nested and long distance PCR. Mean TRF values showed significant telomere shortening in FL (4.18 +/- 0.18 Kb) and S-DLBCL (3.31 +/- 0.25 Kb) respect to controls (8.50 +/- 0.50 Kb) (p<0.001). Differences between both histological subtypes (p=0.036) were also detected. Moreover, the samples positive for BCL-2 rearrangements showed longer TL (4.25 +/- 0.19 Kb) than the negative ones (3.39 +/- 0.30 Kb) (p=0.023). A trend to telomere shortening was observed when Major Breakpoint Region (MBR-JH), minor cluster region (mcr-JH) and BCL-2 negative patients were compared (4.35 +/- 0.21 Kb; 3.84 +/- 0.45 Kb and 3.39 +/- 0.30 Kb, respectively). Our results show a TL reduction in FL and S-DLBCL, with significant short TRFs in the last group, suggesting the participation of telomere shortening in tumor progression. Furthermore, the differences detected between BCL-2 positive and negative FL support the involvement of diverse pathogenic mechanisms.
  Medicina 02/2005; 65(2):143-6. · 0.47 Impact Factor
• Article: Structural aberrations of chromosomes 17 and 12 in chronic B-cell disorders.

  Roxana Cerretini, Christian Chena, Isabel Giere, Marcela Sarmiento, Guillermo Arrossagaray, Andrea Rodríguez, Raúl Pérez Bianco, Marcela de Dios Soler, Marina Narbaitz, Irma Slavutsky
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  ABSTRACT: Genomic aberrations can now be identified in approximately 80% of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) patients. In the present study, four new structural changes involving chromosomes 17 and 12 in CLL/SLL patients are described. Five patients were selected for inclusion in the present report among a total of 92 cases with diagnosis of CLL/SLL. Cytogenetic studies and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis to detect some of the most frequent cryptic aberrations occurring in CLL/SLL patients were performed. Clinical studies are also described. Four cases showed structural rearrangements of chromosome 17. A psu dic(17;2)(p11.2;p21), leading to p53 deletion, was observed in a patient who developed a mixed cellularity Hodgkin's disease coexisting with the CLL/SLL in the same lymph node. Epstein Barr virus was detected in the Reed-Sternberg cells. Two cases had a balanced translocation t(2;17)(p21;q23). Both patients showed trisomy 12 and clonal evolution and one of them also had 11q deletion. In addition, a der(17)t(12;17)(q13;q25) as a part of a complex karyotype, and a complex translocation t(5;12;19) (q15;p11;q13) were also found. Four patients had an adverse clinical outcome and died because of disease progression. Four unreported nonrandom chromosome aberrations in CLL/SLL patients, one of them who might represent a new recurrent abnormality, are described. These uncommon abnormalities, mostly associated with evolving disease, may have implications for the understanding of genetic events associated with disease progression in this pathology.
  European Journal Of Haematology 01/2004; 71(6):433-8. · 2.61 Impact Factor
• Article: Telomere shortening in patients with plasma cell disorders.

  Alejandra Cottliar, Estela Pedrazzini, Claudia Corrado, María Inés Engelberger, Marina Narbaitz, Irma Slavutsky
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  ABSTRACT: Telomeres are essential for maintaining chromosomal integrity; their shortening is associated with chromosome instability. The aim of this work was to study telomere length (TL) on bone marrow (BM) cells from patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). Thirty-one MM patients: 12 at diagnosis (D), 11 at relapse (R) and eight at remission (RE) and two cases with MGUS were studied. TL based on terminal restriction fragment (TRF) assay was evaluated. Cytogenetic and molecular cytogenetic analyses were performed. Telomeric associations (TAs) on BM metaphases were also studied. TRF analysis in total MM patients showed a mean TRF peak value (5.20 +/- 0.35 kb) shorter than those observed in controls (8.5 +/- 0.5 kb) (P < 0.001). Moreover, TRF at D and R showed a significant telomere shortening (P < 0.001), with TL restored at RE. A strong correlation with the percentage of BM plasma cell infiltration (BMPCI) (rK = -0.540; P = 0.002) was found. Patients with abnormal karyotypes (AK) had significantly shorter TRFs than that observed in MM patients with normal karyotypes (P < 0.05). TRFs in MGUS patients did not differ with respect to controls. TA analysis showed an increased percentage in MM (19.46 +/- 1.98%) with respect to MGUS (6.12 +/- 1.87%) and normal BM cells (2.00 +/- 0.93%) (P < 0.001). MM patients showed a significant reduction in TL (> 60% of BMPCI and AK), suggesting a probable association with clinical evolution. Moreover, our findings support the idea that telomere shortening usually leads to increased frequencies of TAs and chromosome instability.
  European Journal Of Haematology 12/2003; 71(5):334-40. · 2.61 Impact Factor
• Article: Primary pulmonary AIDS-related lymphoma.

  Marcelo Corti, María F Villafañe, Norberto Trione, Ricardo Schtirbu, Marina Narbaitz
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  ABSTRACT: Extranodal involvement is common in lymphomas associated with human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). However, primary pulmonary AIDS-related non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is very rare and only few reports were published in the medical literature. Clinical presentation is nonspecific, with "B" and respiratory symptoms. Also, patients were with advanced immunodeficiency at the time of diagnosis. Generally, chest radiography showed peripheral nodules or cavitary masses. Primary pulmonary lymphoma associated with AIDS is generally a high-grade B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Epstein-Barr virus is strongly associated with the pathogenesis of these tumors. We report a patient with AIDS and primary pulmonary lymphoma which clinical presentation was a total atelectasis of the left lung.
  Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo 47(4):231-4. · 1.00 Impact Factor
• Article: Incidence of BCL-2 gene rearrangements in Argentinean non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients: increased frequency of breakpoints outside of MBR and MCR.

  María Fernanda Noriega, Carlos De Brasi, Marina Narbaitz, Irma Slavutsky
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  ABSTRACT: The t(14;18)(q32;q21) is the most frequent cytogenetic abnormality observed in follicular lymphoma (FL), but also occurs in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We have evaluated the frequency of this translocation in 106 Argentinean non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients: 83 with diagnosis of FL and 23 with DLBCL. Nested (N) and long-distance PCR (LD-PCR) approaches were used. By N-PCR, a total of 42 (51%) FL cases showed BCL-2 rearrangement: 28 (34%) for major breakpoint region (MBR) and 14 (17%) for minor cluster region (mcr). By LD-PCR, additional 23 (28%) new positive cases were found: 10 (12%) for MBR and 13 (16%) for mcr. These data make a total of 65 (78%) positive cases for BCL-2 gene rearrangements. In DLBCL cases, N-PCR detected two (9%) cases with the MBR breakpoint and one (4%) with mcr. Seven (30%) new positive cases by LD-PCR were found: four (17%) for MBR and three (13%) for mcr, showing a total of 10 (43%) positive cases. Thus, both FL and DLBCL had high frequencies of breakpoints located between MBR and mcr clusters. Our N-PCR results in FL (51%; 95% CI, 40-62%) showed statistical differences with respect to the pooled data from USA (P < 0.0001) and overlapped with the frequencies from Asia and Europe. In DLBCL, no significant differences with respect to the literature were found. This data support the idea that FL may be a heterogeneous malignancy with distinct molecular pathogenesis and suggest that the geographic differences may be related with the distribution of breakpoints that are widely spread throughout the sequence stretch between MBR and mcr.
  Blood Cells Molecules and Diseases 32(1):232-9. · 2.35 Impact Factor
• Article: [Primary central nervous system lymphomas in AIDS patients].

  Marcelo Corti, Florencia Villafañe, Norberto Trione, Ricardo Schtirbu, Claudio Yampolsky, Marina Narbaitz
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  ABSTRACT: Primary lymphoma is the most common neoplasm of the central nervous system (CNS) in AIDS patients. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical manifestations, neuroimaging findings, diagnostic methods used, histological characteristics, detection of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA by PCR in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and brain smears, and outcome of 18 HIV/AIDS patients with primary CNS lymphoma. The overall incidence of primary CNS lymphoma was 2.6%. Fifteen were men and mean age was 33.6 years. The most frequent clinical findings were focal neurological deficits and seizures. The mean CD4 T cell count at the time of diagnosis was 44 cells/microl. Primary CNS lymphoma presented as single, large (> 2.5 cm) lesions in 14 patients (77.8%). All the lesions were associated with a mass effect and surrounding edema. EBV DNA was detected in nine brain smears. In seven of these nine cases, EBV DNA was also found in CSF by PCR. Median survival after specific diagnosis was 75 days. This study upholds a link between EBV and these tumors. Primary CNS lymphoma was associated with a poor prognosis and short survival in this cohort of patients.
  Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica 22(6):332-6. · 1.49 Impact Factor
• Article: Cytogenetic, FISH, and molecular studies in a case of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia with karyotypic evolution.

  Christian Chena, Roxana Cerretini, María Fernanda Noriega, Marina Narbaitz, Mariano Scolnik, María Fernanda Palacios, Daniela Neme, Salvador Bruno, Irma Slavutsky
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  ABSTRACT: We report the clinical, cytogenetic, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and molecular findings in a 54-yr-old male patient diagnosed with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL), who showed progression to a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (Richter's syndrome). Genetic studies were performed at diagnosis and during the Richter's transformation (RT). A clonal karyotype with two dicentric chromosomes, psu dic(12,21)(q24;q10) and dic(17,18)(p11.2;p11.2), was found. Both rearrangements were confirmed by FISH. Molecular cytogenetics analysis using p53 probe showed monoallelic loss of this tumor suppressor gene in 43.8% and 77.3% of cells for the first and the second studies, respectively). In both studies, deletions of D13S319 (18% and 12% of cells) and D13S25 loci (13% and 12% of cells) at 13q14 were found. Polymerase chain reaction analysis showed the MBR/JH rearrangement of the bcl-2 gene. FISH studies using LSI bcl-2/IgH probe allowed quantifying the clonal cell population with this rearrangement (4% and 6.6% of cells at diagnosis and RT, respectively). To our knowledge, this is the first case with a psu dic(12,21) described in B-CLL. The low percentage of cells with the 13q14 deletion and bcl-2/IgH rearrangement suggests that they were secondary events that resulted from clonal evolution. Our patient had a short survival (9 months) and a clear lack of response to several therapeutic agents, confirming the association of p53 gene deletion and karyotypic evolution with disease progression.
  European Journal Of Haematology 69(5-6):309-14. · 2.61 Impact Factor
• Article: Burkitt's lymphoma of the duodenum in a patient with AIDS.

  Marcelo Corti, María Florencia Villafañe, Liliana Souto, Ricardo Schtirbu, Marina Narbaitz, Marcela de Dios Soler
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  ABSTRACT: Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of B-cell type is the second most common neoplasm after Kaposi's sarcoma, among patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection. Most non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cases that are associated with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome involve extranodal sites, especially the digestive tract and the central nervous system. We report a case of primary lymphoma of the duodenum in a patient with AIDS. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed pseudopolypoid masses found in the second portion of the duodenum. A complete diagnostic study including histological, immunohistochemical and virological analyses showed high-grade B-cell Burkitt's lymphoma. The Epstein-Barr virus genome was detected in biopsies by immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization.
  Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical 40(3):338-40. · 0.68 Impact Factor