Cytogenetic and hematologic findings in acute myelogenous leukemia, M2 according to the FAB classification

Chromosome banding studies on leukemic cells from 12 patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), M2 according to the FAB classification, were performed. In 8 cases, chromosome abnormalities were observed; among these 8, 6 were found to exhibit a common chromosome abnormality, i.e., t(8;21)(q22;q22). The present findings strongly support the view that AML with t(8;21) (q22;q22) represents a definite subgroup within the general category of AML; this translocation has not been observed in more than 100 cases of leukemias other than AML M2. When the chromosome findings were collated with the hematologic and clinical data, it was found that the cases with t(8;21)(q22;q22) were not distinguishable from those with karyotypes other than the translocation in M2, in terms of hematologic and clinical findings.