Specific chromosome markers involved with chronic T lymphocyte tumors.

In a series of 12 patients with chronic T cell tumors, 9 showed abnormalities of the long arm of chromosome #14. The most common aberration was an inversion with breakpoints in q11 and q32, which was seen in 7 patients. One patient had a translocation between chromosomes #9 and #14, with breaks in 9q34 and 14q11, and in another patient, the two long arms of chromosome #14 were fused together in q32, forming a dicentric chromosome. The results confirm earlier suggestions that rearrangements of band 14q11 are involved with T cell tumors and may be of importance for the development of the disease. Chromosome #8 aberrations were seen in seven patients, six of whom had an extra 8q in common. Abnormalities of chromosome #7 occurred in five patients, but the breaks were localized in different bands. The significance of the karyotypic changes in our present and previous series of patients is discussed, together with data from other laboratories.