RBM15-MKL1 (OTT-MAL) fusion transcript in an adult acute myeloid leukemia patient

The t(1;22)(p13;q13) is a nonrandom chromosomal abnormality in acute leukemia with the fusion oncogene, RBM15-MKL1 (OTT-MAL), identified recently. However, this abnormality has been described only in infants and young children with acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AMKL). We report a 59-year-old male patient with the diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia, subtype M1, who harbors an abnormal chromosome +der(1)t(1;22)(p13;q13). The RBM15-MKL1 (OTT-MAL) fusion transcript was also confirmed by the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. This unusual abnormality is rare in adult cases of leukemia, and in children it is restricted to AMKL. This report is accompanied by a review of the literature on the t(1;22)(p13;q13).