The Rare Occurrence of the Translocation t(8;14) in Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Genomic aberrations in Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia (CLL) are important prognostic factors of disease progression and survival and contribute to the treatment decisions and follow-up. The most common chromosomal aberrations detected in CLL are deletions of 13q14, 11q22, 17p13 and trisomy 12. Deletions 17p13.1 and 11q22.3 are strong predictors of poor survival. We report on a rare case of CLL exhibiting the MYC translocation t(8,14)(q24;q32), which is a consistent cytogenetic finding of Burkitt lymphoma. This translocation in CLL mostly appears with other chromosomal abnormalities and is associated with more aggressive disease behavior. After review of the literature, the outcome of CLL patients with MYC translocation is discussed, where prognosis is often poor.