A case of ALL with 4q trisomy

A case of a 7-yr-old girl with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with an unusual translocation in the leukemic cells is described. The cytogenetic anomaly consisted of extra material in the long arm of one chromosome #1, with the material probably originating from the long arm of a chromosome #4. The poor response to therapy suggested the possibility that translocations in ALL may carry a poor prognosis. While more will have to be learned about the significance of the material originating from chromosome #4 in ALL, it appears that translocations involving material from the long arm of #4 are not infrequently associated with a poor prognosis.