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The t(14;18) translocation is the most distinguishing molecular finding in follicular lymphoma (FL). However, the reported frequencies of t(14;18) in FL show significant variation, which is often attributed to geographical and/or methodological factors. The methods used to detect t(14;18) include Southern blotting, conventional cytogenetics, fluorescent in situ hybridization, and polymerized chain reaction (PCR). Because of its practicality and superior sensitivity, PCR is becoming the more commonly used method in clinical laboratories. The identification of the main breakpoint regions on chromosome 18, including the major breakpoint region (MBR), the minor cluster region (mcr), and the newly defined intermediate cluster region (icr), increased the detection frequency of PCR. In our study, using a highly sensitive nested PCR strategy with primers for MBR, mcr and icr regions, we were able to detect t(14;18) in 95% of FL patients, which is one of the highest reported frequencies using PCR. We screened 58 FL patient samples collected retrospectively from different hospitals in Jordan. DNA was extracted from archival paraffin-embedded samples, some of which were >10 years old. The respective breakpoint distributions were, 47 for MBR (81%), two for mcr (3.5%) and six for icr (10.3%). In this report, we analyze this high frequency of t(14;18) detection in a general review of the recent literature, in an attempt to assess the geographical vs. methodological influences on the reported frequencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the major role of the AKT/PKB family of proteins in the regulation of many growth and survival mechanisms in the cell, and the increasing evidence suggesting that AKT disruption could play a key role in many human malignancies, no major mutations of AKT genes had been reported, until very recently when Carpten et al reported a novel transforming mutation (E17K) in the pleckstrin homology domain of the AKT1 gene in solid tumours. Several laboratories are now screening for this mutation in different malignancies, and, recently, the mutation was described by Malanga et al in 1.9% of lung cancer patients. Considering the importance of the PI3K/AKT pathway in mediating survival and antiapoptotic signals in the B-cell types of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), we sequenced the AKT1 exon 3 for the above mentioned mutation in 87 specimens, representing 45 CLLs, 38 ALLs and 4 prolymphocytic leukaemia (PLL) cases, which are all of B-cell origin. Our results show that the mutation E17K/AKT1 was not detected in the pleckstrin homology domain of AKT1 of the investigated cases. We conclude that this mutation is not a major event in B-cell-derived lymphoid leukaemias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 39-year-old female patient who was referred to King Hussein Cancer Center in Amman, Jordan after an excision biopsy noticed a squamous cell carcinoma on her right vulva. It states that a histopathology review performed on the patient confirmed the biopsy's results. It notes that she underwent left laparoscopic and salpingo-oophorectomy operations to excise the right vulva. Furthermore, an ipsilateral inguinofemoral lymph nodes dissection was performed.