Derivative (y)t(Y;1)(q12;q12),+9 in a patient with polycythemia vera during transition into myelodysplasia.

Cytogenetic analysis of bone marrow cells of a 63-year-old male Caucasian patient with polycythemia vera (PV) who developed anemia, thrombocytopenia, and increased granulocytic immaturity revealed a 47, X,der(Y) t(Y;1)(q12;q12),+9 karyotype. The breakpoint in chromosome 1 appeared to map to q12 and not to q21, as has been described in previous reports without FISH confirmation. In the 4 years before this transition the patient was polycythemic and, accordingly, treated with phlebotomy and three short courses of busulfan. The cytogenetic picture observed has been described before in seven patients: three with PV, three with myelodysplasia, and one with Fanconi anemia. In 5/7 cases, like in our patient, the abnormality was observed during transition of the disease into either myelodysplasia or AML.