Acute monocytic leukemia with a novel 10;11 rearrangement resolved by fluorescence in situ hybridization

Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis in an adult with acute monocytic leukemia revealed the complex nature of a rearrangement between chromosomes 10 and 11, which resulted in disruption of the MLL gene. Using a combination of chromosome 10 and 11 paints, a 10 centromere-specific sequence, and a probe for the MLL locus at 11q23, the rearrangement was deduced to have involved a reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 10 and 11, followed by an inversion within the short arm of the derivative 10. To our knowledge, this novel rearrangement has not been described previously.