8;21 and 15;17 translocations: abnormalities in a single cell lineage in acute myeloid leukemia.

We studied lineage involvement in two cases of acute myeloid leukemia (subtypes M2 and M3 expressing translocations 8;21 and variant 15;17, respectively) using the combined immunophenotype and chromosome painting technique known as the MAC (Morphology Antibody Chromosomes) method. We only found the translocations in CD13-positive granulocytic metaphases and not in glycophorin-A-positive erythroid metaphases. These results suggest that the translocations 8;21 and 15;17 only appear in one cell lineage. The karyotype of the cells with a variant 15;17 translocation was 46;XX,der(1)t(1;15)(p?21; q?22)t(1;17)(q?23;q?12),der(15)t(1;15)(q?23;q?22),der(17)t(1;17)(p?21; q?12)/46,XX.