[Study of caryotypes in 52 cases of chronic lymphocytic B-cell leukemia].

The karyotypes of 103 cases of B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia were studied following stimulation or establishment of continuous cell lines using the Epstein-Barr virus. In 52 patients metaphases suitable for cytogenetic analysis were obtained; 30 revealed normal karyotypes and 22 abnormal karyotypes. The most frequently encountered abnormalities were 6 cases of extra chromosome 12, 4 cases of structured aberrations concerning chromosome 14, including 2 t(11;14), 4 translocations concerning chromosome 11, and 3 cases of extra chromosome 3. No relationship appears to exist between the abnormalities observed and the clinical profile or prognosis.