CYTOGENETICS IN MULTIPLE-MYELOMA - A MULTICENTER STUDY OF 24 PATIENTSWITH T(11-14)(Q13-Q32) OR ITS VARIANT

Twenty-two patients with multiple myeloma (MM) with a classical t(11;1 4)(q13;q32) and two complex variants also involving 11q13 and 14q32 re gions are reported. We show that t(11;14) (q13;q32) is predominantly n oticed in stages II and III and never in stage I patients. Translocati on (11;14)(q13;q32) is predominantly observed in hypodiploid or pseudo diploid clones associated with total or partial monosomy of chromosome 13 and additional structural changes in chromosome 1. These transloca tions may be discovered not only in standard cultures (24-48 hours) wi thout stimulation, but also in cytokine-stimulated cultures (granulocy te macrophage colony-stimulating factor and interleukin 6). The t(11;1 41)(q13;q32) as a primary or secondary event in MM is discussed, becau se, in one patient, it was only discovered at relapse. (C) Elsevier Sc ience Inc., 1998.