Studies of banded chromosomes in patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia, including one patient with the Burkitt-type (L3)

Cytogenetic and flow cytometric analysis of a clear cell chondrosarcoma

Cytogenetic analysis of a rare tumor, a clear cell chondrosarcoma of the spine, showed unusual karyotypic findings. The tumor had a predominant clone with a near-haploid chromosome complement of 30 chromosomes with loss of one homologue of each chromosome pair except chromosomes 5, 7, 12, and 19-22. A second clone with 58-60 chromosomes appeared to have originated by a doubling of the near-haploid clone. No structural changes were present. Comparison with other solid tumors and leukemias with near-haploid chromosome complements showed an interesting difference in the chromosomes which were preferentially disomic or monosomic in the two groups. Quantitative DNA analysis also showed aneuploid clones of cells corresponding to the near-haploid and hyperdiploid chromosome counts obtained cytogenetically.

Chromosomal abnormalities in adult non-endemic Burkitt's lymphoma and leukemia: 22 new reports and a review of 148 cases from the literature

Tumour cell karyotypes from patients with Burkitt lymphoma (BL) or Burkitt's type leukemia (ALL3) were studied for correlation with survival, bone marrow and cerebral spinal fluid involvement (CSF), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) serology, and for recurrent cytogenetic abnormalities. The records of 22 patients with BL from our institution and of 148 cases of BL and ALL3 reported in the literature with karyotypes were evaluated for clinical and cytological features. Overall survival was only 28 per cent and 88 per cent of deaths occurred within the first nine months after diagnosis. Those who survived at least 18 months were unlikely to relapse. Age and gender did not significantly affect survival. Patients presenting with advanced Ann Arbor stage, bone marrow or CSF involvement had lower survival rates. The association of translocations involving chromosome band 8q24 with this disease is confirmed. Sixty-two per cent of karyotypes had t(8;14)(q24;q32) translocations; the recognized variant translocations t(8;22)(q24;q11) and t(2;8)(p12;q24) affected 12 per cent and 9 per cent respectively. Seventeen per cent had abnormal karyotypes but no classic translocation. Patients with variant translocations had the poorest survival rates, and those with the classic t(8;14)(q24;q32) did the best. Despite a small sample size, the variant translocation t(8;22)(q24;q11) appeared to occur at an increased frequency in the patients with AIDS. In the entire group, recurrent involvement of chromosome regions 1q2, 6q11-14 and 17p1 suggests that alteration of genes at these loci, B Cell Growth Factor (BCGF) at 1q2 and p53 on 17p, may contribute to the development and progression of this tumour. Similarly, the frequent trisomies of chromosomes 7, 8, 12 and 18 may indicate an effect on tumour cell growth due to increased gene dosage. Trisomy 12 was found in eight tumours, five from patients with AIDS, suggesting that chromosome 12 has a site or gene whose allelic dosage is selected for in AIDS related lymphoma cells. Cytogenetic studies of adult Burkitt lymphoma and leukemia suggest several likely loci for gene alterations that in conjunction with myc translocations can lead to tumorigenesis.

Frequency of constitutional chromosome alterations in patients with hematologic neoplasias

From 1978 to 1985 cytogenetic studies were performed on 718 patients with different hematologic diseases. Nine (1.25%) had a constitutional chromosome alteration. One patient had trisomy 21, four had balanced translocations and four had sex chromosome anomalies. Although the frequency of constitutional alterations was twice that seen in the newborn population, an analysis of these data and also from the literature shows a random association between constitutional chromosome alterations and hematologic neoplasias, except for patients with Down's syndrome.

Near-haploidy in a case of plasmocytoma

Chromosome studies of a solitary plasmocytoma in the femoral bone revealed a near-haploid chromosome number of 31-32 with a loss of one homolog of each chromosome pair except #1, #7, #9, #15, #19-21, and the sex chromosomes (XY). The cytogenetic findings have been compared with 16 cases of near-haploid neoplasms from the literature studied using banding techniques. A common feature present in 13 of the 16 cases reported was found to be disomy 21; the only chromosomes consistently present in one copy in all neoplasms were #2, #3, #4, and #5.

Two Burkitt's lymphomas with chromosome 6 long arm deletions

Two new European Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) cases are reported. Their karyotypic abnormalities were unusual, without involvement of chromosomes #8, #14, #2, or #22. However, in both tumors, a 6q- chromosome was, present. These findings raise questions about the definition of BL and the involvement of various different DNA sequences in the mechanisms of BL genesis.

The prognostic implications of chromosomal findings in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

The clinical importance of chromosome studies of leukemic tissue at diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia lies in the relationship between different chromosomal findings and prognoses. First demonstrated in 1978 [1], this relationship has been confirmed in a number of subsequent reports [2-9]. The independence of chromosomal findings from other prognostic features in predicting long-term response to treatment is now established [2-5, 7-9]. In children, a good or bad prognosis can be predicted only when a chromosomally abnormal cell line is identified. Differential prognosis, then, depends on the nature of the abnormality. In adults, as in children, the kind of abnormal clone, when present, is of some value prognostically. In addition, however, unlike the situation in children, the best prognosis in adults is associated with the chromosomally normal group.

Karyotypic findings in a case of prolymphocytic leukemia with a history of radiation exposure

Cytogenetic examination, utilizing B- and T-cell mitogens, of the peripheral blood lymphocytes of a patient with the prolymphocytic variant of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and a history of radiation exposure revealed two abnormal clones. One clone with 48 chromosomes (+t(6;12),6q-, +12,14q+) may be derived from CLL cells, whereas the clone with 46 chromosomes and a ring #11 possibly originated from normal T and/or B cells affected by past irradiation.

Chromosomes and causation of human cancer and leukemia. LI. A hairy cell leukemia case with 14q+ and ring chromosomes: significance of ring chromosomes in blood disorders

What appears to be the first hairy cell leukemia case with a 14q+ anomaly is described. In addition to the 14q+ anomaly, a 6q- and a ring chromosome were seen in a blood sample stimulated with lipopolysaccharide, a B-cell mitogen. The clinical course of the present case was short, stormy, and had a poor response to therapy. The correlation between the clinical course and the presence of a ring chromosome in myelo- and lymphoproliferative blood disorders is discussed in relation to the various blood disorders with this karyotype anomaly described in the literature.

Burkitt cell leukemia with abnormality of chromosome No. 1

A case of L3 (Burkitt cell) leukemia with chromosome 1 abnormality but no detectable abnormalities of chromosomes 8 or 14 is reported. This is the first time that L3 leukemia has been shown to be associated with a primary abnormality of chromosome 1. The implications of these findings relative to the development of B-cell ALL and the role of chromosome 1 in human neoplasia is discussed.

Cytogenetic studies on Burkitt's lymphoma-leukemia

Chromosome studies on 26 cases of Burkitt's cell malignancy are reported, including 7 lymphomas and 19 acute lymphocytic leukemias. A specific translocation was found in 26 of the patients: 20 t(8;14), 4 t(8;22), and 1 t(2;8). In one other case only 2 mitoses out of 59 were found to have a probable t(8;22) translocation. Additional chromosomal abnormalities were found in 15 of the patients, irrespective of whether they had or had not been treated before cytogenetic investigation. The most remarkable was a partial duplication of chromosome 1q. The presence of additional chromosomal abnormalities together with a specific translocation allows a distinction to be made between specific and secondary chromosome anomalies. The implications of the two types of aberrations for research into the molecular mechanisms of malignancy are discussed.