Acute myeloid leukemia, inversion 16, occurring in a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

The occurrence of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in patients previously diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is rare. In most cases, AML develops after treatment of CLL and is thought to be therapy related; unfavorable karyotypes are often evident. Herein, we report a patient with a long-standing history of CLL who developed AML with cytogenetic analysis revealing inversion 16. In keeping with the favorable prognosis of this abnormality, the patient has achieved a complete remission, which has been maintained for 13 months.