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t(8;21)(q22;q22)

8q22 and 21q22

RUNX1T1 (ETO) at 8q22 and CBFA (AML1) at 21q22

The t(8;21) results in fusion of the AML1 gene on 21q22 and the ETO gene on 8q22 on a molecular level. It is one of the most common nonrandom chromosomal changes, and it is found in about 5-12% of patients with AML.

Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) with t(8;21)(q22;q22) demonstrates unique clinico-pathologic disease entity in patients with hematologic malignancies.

Among these cases, complex variants involving chromosomes 8 and 21, as well as a third or fourth chromosome, account for approximately 6-10% of patients with an AML1/ETO chimeric gene, and about 100 variant cases with AML1/ETO fusion transcript have been reported in the literature.

Tumors

- acute myeloid leukemia (5-12%) (one of the most common structural aberration in AML)

  • one-third of karyotypically abnormal acute myeloid leukemia M2 cases according to FAB classification (M2-ANLL)
  • some acute myeloid leukemia M1 (M1-ANLL)
  • some acute myeloid leukemia M4 (M4-ANLL)

See also

- t(8;21)(q22;q22)-associated AML

  • t(8;21)(q22;q22)-associated AML M2 (M2-ANLL)
    • frequent co-expression of the B lymphoid marker CD19 with CD33 and CD34 and less often CD56
    • good response to chemotherapy and a high remission rate with long-term disease-free survival

Target genes

- translocation t(8;21)(q22;q22) involves genes CBFA (AML1) (at 21q22) and RUNX1T1 (ETO) (at 8q22)

See also

- heterodimeric components of the core binding factor complex (CBF)

References

- Park TS, Song J, Lee KA, Min YH, Lee SG, Park Y, Kim J, Lee EY, Choi JR. Paracentric inversion-associated t(8;21) variant in de novo acute myelogenous leukemia: characteristic patterns of conventional cytogenetics, FISH, and multicolor banding analysis. Cancer Genet Cytogenet. 2008 May;183(1):72-6. PMID: 18474302