Translocation (3;21) characterizes crises in myeloid stem cell disorders.

Three patients, one with Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome positive chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) and two with primary acquired myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), have been identified to have a t(3;21)(q26;q22). In the patient with CML, the t(3;21) was detected only in the blast phase. The t(3;21) as the sole abnormality appeared at presentation of MDS [refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB)] in one patient and remained as such when progression to RAEB in transformation (RAEB-t) occurred. The other patient with MDS had the t(3;21), in addition to other changes, during the progression of the disease. Thus, t(3;21) may characterize myeloid crises of clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorders (HSCD) and indicates a poor prognosis. As a primary cytogenetic event it may be also involved in the genesis of myelodysplasia with subsequent leukemic transformation.