Spectral karyotype analysis of T-cell acute leukemia

Analysis of 15 cases of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia with spectral k aryotyping (SKY), which can identify all chromosomes simultaneously, clarif ied the chromosome rearrangements in 3 cases and confirmed them in 11 other s; no abnormal cells were identified in 1 case, which had only 10% abnormal cells. Five of the latter cases had a normal karyotype. Thus, the use of S KY substantially improves the precision of karyotype analysis of malignant cells, which in turn leads to a more accurate assessment of the genotypic a bnormalities in those cells. (C) 1999 by The American Society of Hematology .