Some karyotypic aspects of human leukemia.

Chromosome abnormalities are found in the vast majority of hematologic malignancies. A great number of these changes are very specific, and some unambiguously identify the nature and type of the malignant disorder in which they are found. The purposes of this paper are ( a) to update the list of characteristic chromosome changes occurring in human hematologic neoplasia; (b) to bring together data presently known about the nature of trisomies found in these disorders; and (c) to review which genes, other than oncogenes, located near the chromosomal breakpoints may playa role in the cellular proliferation and differentiation, as well as in some other phenotypic manifestations.