Chromosomal Abnormalities Detected by FISH in CLL May Be Influenced by Ethnic Origin: Preliminary Data from a Multicenter Study in Israel for the Israel CLL Study Group (ICLLSG).

Israel has a variety of distinct ethnic groups and a high incidence of CLL, particularly in patients of European origin (Ashkenazi Jews). Recently we have examined 82 CLL patients who had FISH performed in 4 centers from different areas in Israel in an attempt to see if the results varied by ethnic origin. The patients were divided into 4 ethnic groups:

1. - Asheknazi Jews

2. -North African Jews (including Spanish origin, Bulgaria, Western Turkey and Greece),

3. Eastern Jews (Iraq, Iran, Azberjian, India, Kurdistan, Eastern Turkey, Yemen and Egypt) and

4. - Arab descent (this group was too small to further divide).

Ashkenazi Jews comprised 65.8% of the patients, North Africans 15.8%, Eastern Jews 14.6%, Arabic patients 3.7%. Variations of clinical and biological parameters by ethnic groups are recorded in table 1, and the distribution of FISH aberrations by ethnic groups in table 2. Seventy four percent of patients had FISH abnormalities. Trends suggestive of ethnic variations of FISH abnormalities were observed, but none reached statistical significance due to the small number of patients. These initial results warrants continuation of this ongoing multicenter study.