Development of acute promyelocytic leukemia with isochromosome 17q after BCR/ABL positive chronic myeloid leukemia

We describe a pediatric case of acute promyelocytic leukemia with an i(17q) after treatment of BCR/ABL positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) for 3.5 years. The patient was treated with Busulphan, alpha-2a interferon, hydrox yurea, and cytosine arabinoside at various times in the course of the chron ic phase of CML, because he had no HLA-identical donor for bone marrow tran splantation. Hematologic remission was achieved for a short time, but cytog enetic remission was never possible, When promyelocytic blast crisis was di agnosed according to the French-American-British classification, cytogeneti c studies revealed an i(17q) as a new feature in our patient. The promyeloc ytic transformation was associated with the appearance of an i(17q) precedi ng CML are discussed in the light of recent literature. (C) Elsevier Scienc e Inc., 1999. All rights reserved.