Unusual Ph translocations in CML: four new cases

Four variants of the Ph chromosome translocation in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients are described. Two had an unusual simple translocation involving chromosomes #7 and #17. In two cases, the translocation, aside from involving #9 and #22, involved a third chromosome, chromosome #6 and chromosome #11, respectively. Three cases showed also karyotypic evolution during the blastic phase of the disease: in two cases, a new reciprocal translocation was found that involved a chromosome #9 at band q34. The clinical and cytogenetic significance of these results is briefly discussed.