Translocation 1;19--a new cytogenetic abnormality in acute lymphocytic leukemia

A study of the chromosomes of 125 consecutive patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) showed the same translocation between chromosomes #1 and #19 in 5 patients. In 4 of the 5, the t(1;19)(q21;q13) was present at diagnosis. The fifth patient, who had Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph1+) ALL, developed t(1;19) in first relapse. Trisomy 1q was involved in 2 of the 5 patients; 3 patients had additional abnormalities. All patients had low white cell counts at presentation (less than 35 X 10(9)/L), and the 4 patients tested had common ALL antigen (CALLA) positive leukemic blast cells. All achieved complete remission, including the Ph1+ ALL patient in first relapse, and survival times ranged from 4 to 21+ mo from the time the t(1;19) first appeared. Our data suggest that t(1;19) is a previously unrecognized nonrandom structural abnormality in ALL that is also found in other lymphoid malignancies. Unlike the other specific translocations, it is not associated with a poor prognosis.