Korean J Pathol.  1998 Jan;32(1):58-62.

Normoblasts and Lymphocytes Carry the Fused Bcr-Abl Gene in Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia: Two Color Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization(FISH) Analysis on the Blood Smears

• Kang CS
• Lee EJ
• Lee WB
• Kim YG
• Han KJ
• Lee KS
• Shim SI

Abstract

We performed dual color fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for the bcr/abl fusion in CML using the peripheral blood smears without destruction of cell morphology to determine the bcr/abl fusion. Two patients of CML, one patient in accelerated phase and one patient in chronic phase, were selected. The blood smears were fixed in absolute methanol. FISH was performed with the Mbcr/abl translocation DNA probe mixture and the slides were stained with Wright's stain after FISH. The blood smears of both cases revealed distinct signals without destruction of cellular morphology. The normoblasts and lymphocytes revealed beautiful fused bcr/abl signals as well as granulocytes in both cases. The results provide a novel finding that the normoblasts and lymphocytes in CML are also neoplastic clonal cells which has not been demonstrated with a single-cell approach before.

Keyword

bcr/abl fusion; CML; Normoblasts; Lymphocytes; FISH

MeSH Terms

DNA
Erythroblasts*
Fluorescence*
Granulocytes
Humans
In Situ Hybridization
Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive*
Lymphocytes*
Methanol
DNA
Methanol