Clinical and laboratory research of two acute promyelocytic leukemia patients with isochromosome 17q-anomaly

Objective To explore the clinical and laboratory characteristics of two acute promyelocytic leukemia(APL)patients with isochromosome 17q-anomaly. Methods Bone marrow cell chromosome preparations were made with short-term culture. Karyotype analysis was performed by R-banding technique and dual-color fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH) by using PML/RARα and HER-2 probes. Using the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) detect PML/RARα fusion. Results The clinical and hematological findings were comparable with diagnosis of APL. Karyotype analysis showed that both patients had t(15;17) and isochromosome 17q- anomaly, and that proved by FISH. Furthermore, PML/RARα fusion were detected by RT-PCR in both patients. Conclusion i(17q-) is a rare additional karyotype abnormality in APL, the prognostic implication needs further research.