5q- in a case of chronic myelogenous leukemia relapsed after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation

Clonal chromosome and/or hematological abnormalities typically observed in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) have been described with increased frequency after autologous bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for lymphoma. We report the case of a woman with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) allografted with her HLA-identical sibling who, 5 years after the transplant and under immunosuppressive treatment for chronic graft host disease (GVHD), suffered a cytogenetic relapse associated with a 5q- deletion in the host metaphases. These findings suggest that myelodysplastic changes, possibly related to the chemo-radiotherapy conditioning regimen, may also present after allogeneic BMT.