3′ CBFβ deletion associated with inv(16) in acute myeloid leukemia

Recent reports have shown that concomitant submicroscopic deletions can occur in association with chromosomal translocations/inversions in several leukemia subtypes. Detectable by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), these losses of sequence include deletion of the 5′ region of the ABL gene and the 3′ region of BCR in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), as well as the 5′ region of ETO in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) French-American-British type M2 associated with t(8;21), 3′ MLL in AML and ALL, and 3′ core-binding factor β (CBFβ) in AML associated with inv(16). While it has been widely reported that submicroscopic deletions of the derivative 9 in CML have an adverse prognostic impact, the clinical significance, if any, of deletions associated with t(8;21), inv(16)/t(16;16), or MLL rearrangement is yet to be determined. We analyzed a series of 39 patients diagnosed with AML who had cytogenetically detectable inv(16)/t(16;16) by using a FISH probe for the CBFβ region to determine the incidence of the 3′ CBFβ deletion. Deletions were detected in three patients (8%), all associated with inv(16), bringing the number of cases reported so far to seven. The prognostic significance of this finding remains unclear.