A complex translocation (3;17;15) in acute promyelocytic leukemia confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization.

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is typified by t(15;17)(q22;q21), generating the promyelocytic leukemia (PML) gene at 15q22 with the retinoic acid α-receptor (RARA) gene at 17q21. The PML-RARA fusion gene is believed to play a vital role in leukemogenesis. A sizeable minority of patients with complex variants of APL have been reported. The present study reports the case of a 33-year-old male with APL carrying a potential complex translocation. The initial symptom was bleeding gums. Chromosomal analysis of the bone marrow cells revealed an atypical 17q aberration. Fluorescence in situ hybridization further indicated that 92% of analyzed cells were positive for the PML-RARA fusion gene. The patient experienced complete remission following treatment with arsenic trioxide and chemotherapy. The atypical translocations in acute promyelocytic leukemia require further investigation.