First report of t(1;15)(q21;q11.2) and t(1;21)(q21;q11.2) anomalies in Burkitt Lymphoma

Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is a highly aggressive B cell neoplasm characterized by t(8;14)(q24;q32) which involves the MYC gene. Sometimes, patients have additional cytogenetic anomalies beside t(8;14)(q24;q32) and these anomalies usually lead to more aggressive phenotype. The aim of this paper is to report two novel karyotypic abnormalities which give rise to tetrasomy 1q with an aggressive clinical course of BL. We present a 41-year-old woman with BL. In this patient, the t(1;15)(q21;q11) and t(1;21)(q21;q11.2) were found in the complex karyotype with the translocation of t(8;14)(q24;q32), which is a characteristic of BL. The t(1;15)(q21;q11.2) and t(1;21)(q21;q11.2) anomalies were reported for the first time according to the databases that we have investigated. In our case, the result of t(1;15)(q21;q11.2) and t(1;21)(q21;q11.2) was tetrasomy of chromosomes of 1q. Structural anomalies of chromosomes 1q could be seen in BL patients as additional cytogenetic anomalies and gain of chromosome of 1q usually associated with disease recurrence and poor prognosis. In our case, the patient died approximately 8 months after diagnosis, so her prognosis was poor, which was consistent with the literature. The candidate genes on chromosomes 1q which could be involved in tumorigenesis remain to be identified.