The analysis of chromosomal changes in leukemia has had a direct involvement in the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of patients. Furthermore, it has allowed the understanding of biological processes involved in carcinogenesis. This work presents the results of a kariotypic study of 51 cases of different types of leukemia. The chromosomes were obtained through a 24 or 48 hour culture of cells of the peripheral blood with no mitogenic stimulation. In 74,5% of patients clonal chromosomic abnormalities were observed such as translocations, deletions, monosomies and trisomies. Many of the alterations were similar to results previously published and others were not such as the translocation involving the chromosomes 9 and 22, which leads to the Philadelphia chromosome and the complex translocation involving the chromosomes 4, 7 and 11. The results emphasized the importance of chromosomal analysis in leukemia, its benefits to the patient and to the knowledge of the biological mechanisms involved in this pathology.
Leukemia; cytogenetic; chromosomic aberrations
