High-grade B-cell lymphoma with 11q aberrations (HGBL-11q) has been classified for the first time as a high-grade mature B-cell neoplasm according to the 5th edition of the World Health Organization Classification of Tumors of Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues. HGBL-11q is morphologically and immunohistochemically similar to Burkitt lymphoma (BL) or HGBL; it is characterized by gain in the 11q23.2-11q23.3 region and loss in the 11q24.1-qter region but it lacks MYC translocation. HGBL-11q is a rare tumor, and its exact frequency in Japan remains unclear. In this study, we classified 113 Germinal center B-cell (GCB) type aggressive B-cell lymphomas (BCLs), which were divided into BL, high-grade (HG), and large cell (LC) morphologies. We performed fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to identify 11q aberrations. Nine patients had 11q aberrations (7.96%, 9/113), including six HGBL-11q. The age range was from 8 to 87 years, and all were male. Six out of 14 patients with HG morphology were diagnosed with HGBL-11q (6/14, 42.9%). HGBL-11q has been found to occur primarily in children and young adults but also in middle-aged and older adults. Patients with HG morphology without MYC translocation should undergo FISH for 11q aberrations regardless of age. However, the pathogenesis, clinical findings, and prognosis of HGBL-11q remain unclear. The accumulation of cases with an accurate HGBL-11q diagnosis in daily practice and accurate and detailed data on HGBL-11q will contribute to further understanding of 11q aberrations.
Keywords: 11q aberrations; fluorescence in situ hybridization; high-grade B-cell lymphoma.