Cytogenetic findings in acute promyelocytic leukaemia A report of 25 cases

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Abstract
Cytogenetic analyses of bone marrow cells were carried out by means of direct technique and short‐term cultures in 25 acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) patients. 16 were affected by the hypergranular form and 9 by the M3‐variant. The t(15;17) was documented at diagnosis in 15 patients. In addition, 2 cases, in which an M3 morphology and a normal karyotype on direct preparation were found at diagnosis, disclosed the chromosome anomaly in cultured cells at relapse, in concomitance with a change of blast morphology to the M3‐variant. However, the t(15;17) was a consistent feature in 5 of the 15 patients with cells analysed on direct preparations only and in all cases who had successful bone marrow cultures. Overall, the 15;17 translocation was detected in 7 out of 9 patients with the M3‐variant and in 8 out of 16 patients with typical M3. Whenever the chromosome preparations were made after culture, 7/7 had the translocation in the M3‐V group and 5/5 in the M3 group. No obvious differences in clinical features or outcome were evident in the patients, irrespective of their cytogenetic findings.