At least 80% of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have an abnormal karyotype. Cytogenetic analysis provides some of the strongest prognostic information available, predicting outcome of both remission induction and postremission therapy. Abnormalities which indicate a good prognosis include t(8;21), inv(16), and t(15;17). Patients with AML that is characterized by deletions of the long arms or monosomies of chromosomes 5 or 7; by translocations or inversions of chromosome 3, t(6;9), t(9;22); or by abnormalities of chromosome 11q23 have particularly poor prognoses with chemotherapy.

At least 80% of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have an abnormal karyotype. Cytogenetic analysis provides some of the strongest prognostic information available, predicting outcome of both remission induction and postremission therapy. Abnormalities which indicate a good prognosis include t(8;21), inv(16), and t(15;17). Patients with AML that is characterized by deletions of the long arms or monosomies of chromosomes 5 or 7; by translocations or inversions of chromosome 3, t(6;9), t(9;22); or by abnormalities of chromosome 11q23 have particularly poor prognoses with chemotherapy.