OBJECTIVETo investigate the common chromosome abnormalities of the patients with multiple myeloma in China and the relationships of cytogenetic abnormalities and clinical features.

METHODSIn interphase fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) analysis, a panel of probes including D13S319 (13q14.3), RB1(RB1 gene), IgH (14q32), P53(17p13), 1q21(1q21 gene) was used to study the cytogenetic abnormalities of 31 patients with multiple myeloma; and the clinical implications of cytogenetic abnormalities were investigated.

RESULTThe frequencies of the partial deletion of chromosome 13, translocation involving the 14q32 region, abnormalities in 1q21 and deletion of 17p13 were 45%, 68%, 50%, and 35% in the study, respectively. The abnormalities of both the partial deletion of chromosome 13 and translocation involving the 14q32 region were found in 35% of the patients. 79% of the patients with del (13q) had 14q32 translocations simultaneously. All the patients with positive detection of probe D13S319 were found to have translocation of 14q32 at the same time. There were correlations between the partial deletion of chromosome 13 and translocation involving the 14q32 region. The overall response rate of induction treatment was 67.7%. No significant difference was found in patients with positive or negative cytogenetic abnormalities of del(13q), 14q32 translocation, del(17p13), and 1q21 abnormalities.

CONCLUSION13q deletion, IgH rearrangement, chromosome 1 abnormality and 17p13 deletion are the common cytogenetic abnormalities of MM patients in China. There is a significant correlation between the presence of 14q32 translocations and chromosome 13 deletion in MM patients.