title: Translocation (3;21) characterizes crises in myeloid stem cell disorders.
abstract: Three patients, one with Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome positive chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) and two with primary acquired myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), have been identified to have a t(3;21)(q26;q22). In the patient with CML, the t(3;21) was detected only in the blast phase. The t(3;21) as the sole abnormality appeared at presentation of MDS [refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB)] in one patient and remained as such when progression to RAEB in transformation (RAEB-t) occurred. The other patient with MDS had the t(3;21), in addition to other changes, during the progression of the disease. Thus, t(3;21) may characterize myeloid crises of clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorders (HSCD) and indicates a poor prognosis. As a primary cytogenetic event it may be also involved in the genesis of myelodysplasia with subsequent leukemic transformation.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Center of Southwest Biomedical Research Institute, Scottsdale, Arizona 85251.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Baer
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ligorsky
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Sandberg
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations / Q000473:pathology*; D025063:Chromosome Disorders; D002891:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 21; D002893:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 3; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007621:Karyotyping; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009190:Myelodysplastic Syndromes / Q000473:pathology*; D014178:Translocation, Genetic