The present study described an extremely rare case of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) characterized by a complex three-way (15;15;17)(q24;q14;q21) translocation. It was identified in a 59-year-old male through karyotype, molecular, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analyses. The third translocation breakpoint 15q14 was identified on the same chromosome 15 that also contained the classical t(15;17)(q24;q21) and may have evolved from the classical t(15;17) clone, as indicated by interphase FISH analysis. A complex translocation involving two breakpoints on the same chromosome is extremely rare, such that this case can provide insights into complex translocations in APL.
Keywords: acute promyelocytic leukemia; complex translocation; promyelocytic leukemia gene; retinoic acid receptor α; variant.
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