Many hematopoietic malignancies have characteristic cytogenetic changes, such as translocations or inversions. It’s important to know about these because they can be used for diagnosis in tough cases, and they often carry a prognostic significance. Here’s a little quiz to refresh your memory. See if you can name the hematologic malignancy associated with each of these cytogenetic changes.
1. t(9;22)
2. t(8;21)
3. t(8;14)
4. Flt-3 mutation
5. t(15;17)
6. translocation involving 11q23
7. inv(16)
8. t(14;18)
9. t(11;14)
10. Jak-2 mutation
Answers:
1. Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)
2. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) – M2 (acute myeloid leukemia with maturation)
3. Burkitt lymphoma (or B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia [ALL])
4. AML
5. AML – M3 (acute promyelocytic leukemia)
6. AMLs with a monocytic component (like AML-M4 [acute myelomonocytic leukemia], AML-M5A [acute monoblastic leukemia] and AML-M5b [acute promonocytic leukemia])
7. AML-M4
8. Follicular lymphoma
9. Mantle cell lymphoma
10. Polycythemia vera
Note: the cool photo of chromosomes was taken by slushpup and can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/slushpup/152994192/in/set-72157594144061014/.
Very informative. Useful n simplified.
Could you please explain the significance of spicules on a bone marrow aspirate
Hi Linda –
Usually, we don’t see spicules of bone on an aspirate – but they would just indicate that some of the bony trabeculae (spicules) were sucked up into the needle and appeared in the bone marrow aspirate. I don’t think there is any pathology associated with that finding.