TRISOMY-3 IS A CONSISTENT CHROMOSOME CHANGE IN MALIGNANT LYMPHOPROLIFERATIVE DISORDERS PRECEDED BY COLD AGGLUTININ DISEASE

Cold-antibody autoimmune haemolytic anaemia is a rare entity that has been associated with a wide variety of pathological processes, includi ng malignant lymphoproliferative disorders. In this retrospective stud y we recorded, as far as possible, clinical, haematological, immunolog ical, morphological, pathological, cytogenetic and molecular data on 1 0 patients with cold agglutinin disease (CAD). Cytogenetic anomalies w ere found in four cases in which an underlying lymphoma could be evide nced. Trisomy 3 was the only recurrent aberration in our series. It wa s observed in all patients with abnormal karyotype, either as a comple te trisomy or as a partial trisomy of the long arm. The importance of this particular karyotypic aberration in the monitoring of CAD is emph asized.