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Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Isolation of Precursor B-cell Subsets from Umbilical Cord Blood
Published on: April 16, 2013
Isolated del(14)(q21) in a case of precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Aurelia M Meloni-Ehrig1, Carlos A Tirado, Kuoping Chen
1Laboratory of Cytogenetics, Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute, 14225 Newbrook Drive, Chantilly, VA 20151, USA. aurelia.m.meloni-ehrig@questdiagnostics.com
Abstract:
We present a case of del(14)(q21) as a sole abnormality in a 4-year-old boy diagnosed with precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (pre-B ALL). To our knowledge, this is the first case of isolated del(14)(q21) in pre-B ALL. Two pretreatment bone marrow samples obtained 5 days apart were analyzed by cytogenetics. The G-banded karyotypes of the two samples were similar, differing only in the ratio of normal/abnormal metaphases detected. Both samples showed a del(14)(q21) as the only abnormality. Fluorescence in situ hybridization performed using the probes TEL/AML1 and immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) showed no fusion involving the TEL and AML1 genes and only a single IGH signal in 20% of the interphase cells analyzed.
