Demonstration of i(17q) in metaphase and interphase of malignant hematopoietic cells by fluorescence in situ hybridization.

In 10 patients with various hematopoietic disorders, i(17q) has been studied by the technique of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) both in metaphase and interphase cells using an alpha-satellite centromere-specific probe #17. We observed some minor quantitative differences between metaphase and interphase cells with regard to the incidence of i(17q) in individual cases and considerable heteromorphism of the size of signal of i(17q) among different cases. Our results suggest that formation of i(17q) results from a break in the p-arm proximal to the centromere and that the breakpoints vary from case to case.