NONRANDOM CHROMOSOMAL REARRANGEMENTS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS IN CLINICAL-FEATURES AND OUTCOME OF MULTIPLE-MYELOMA AND PLASMA-CELL LEUKEMIA

Rearrangements of bands 14q32.3 and 19p13.3 and preferential deletion of the short arm of chromosome 1 were nonrandom chromosomal abnormalit ies in MM and PCL, warranting further investigation at the molecular l evel. From the viewpoint of clinical relevance, chromosome 14q32 trans location seems to be associated with leukemic manifestation, level of LDH, and shorter survival period from the time of chromosomal analysis . However, these results were obtained from patients with advanced dis ease, most of whom had already been treated with alkylating agents pri or to cytogenetic analysis. To investigate the karyotypes of MM in the early stage and to determine correlations with clinical features, non -dividing cells should be analyzed, For this purpose, interphase FISH and/or comparative genomic hybridization are promising procedures to d etect genomic alterations in early multiple myeloma.