A Burkitt-type 8;14 translocation in a case of plasma cell leukemia

In a 50-year-old patient with plasma cell leukemia, the leukemic cells were found to have a 14q+ marker chromosome derived from the same translocation as that seen in Burkitt's lymphoma, namely, t(8;14)(q24;q32). A 14q+ marker has been reported so far in 13 cases of plasma cell dyscrasia, but only in 3 of them was the origin of the extra material on the 14q+ identified by banding analysis. The present case is the first one shown to involve a 14q+ marker derived from a Burkitt-type 8;14 translocation. Of particular interest is the association of the 8;14 translocation with lymphoid malignancies of the B-cell lineage.