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Updated: Nov 2, 2025

Next Generation Sequencing for the Detection of Actionable Mutations in Solid and Liquid Tumors
Published on: September 20, 2016
Incidental identification of inv(16)(p13.1q22)/CBFB-MYH11 variant transcript in a patient with therapy-related acute
Andrés E Quesada1, Rajyalakshmi Luthra1, Elias Jabbour2
1Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
A 52-yr-old woman presented with therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia. A bone marrow biopsy showed 21% blasts with a myeloid phenotype and no other notable features such as abnormal eosinophils. Routine nanofluidics-based reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (PCR) leukemia translocation panel designed to screen for recurrent genetic abnormalities in acute leukemia detected an inversion 16 transcript variant E. This prompted rereview of karyotype and fluorescence in situ hybridization studies, which confirmed inv(16), leading to appropriate prognostication and modification of treatment. This case underscores the utility of a powerful molecular screening method for the routine detection of recurrent genetic abnormalities of acute myeloid leukemia. It was especially useful in this case because of the lack of characteristic morphologic findings seen in inversion 16 and the difficulty in its detection by conventional karyotype analysis.
A 52-yr-old woman presented with therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia. A bone marrow biopsy showed 21% blasts with a myeloid phenotype and no other notable features such as abnormal eosinophils. Routine nanofluidics-based reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (PCR) leukemia translocation panel designed to screen for recurrent genetic abnormalities in acute leukemia detected an inversion 16 transcript variant E. This prompted rereview of karyotype and fluorescence in situ hybridization studies, which confirmed inv(16), leading to appropriate prognostication and modification of treatment. This case underscores the utility of a powerful molecular screening method for the routine detection of recurrent genetic abnormalities of acute myeloid leukemia. It was especially useful in this case because of the lack of characteristic morphologic findings seen in inversion 16 and the difficulty in its detection by conventional karyotype analysis.

