The spectrum of CBFB-MYH11 fusion transcripts in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) M4eo with inv(16)/t(16;16) is heterogeneous. Approximately 85% show type A CBFB-MYH11 fusion transcripts. In addition, more than 10 different fusion transcripts have been reported. The prognostic impact and biological background of rare fusion transcripts remain open. In this study, a molecular characterization of CBFB-MYH11 transcripts in 162 patients with CBFB-MYH11 positive AML at diagnosis was performed. In total, 128 patients (79.0%) showed the fusion transcript type A, whereas nine different rare CBFB-MYH11 fusion genes were detected in 34 cases (21.0%). Rare fusion transcripts were found more frequently in therapy-related AML (P=0.0106). Numerical gains of the chromosomes 8, 21 and 22 were more frequently associated with type A (28.3%) than with rare fusions (12.9%) (P=0.012). Median white blood cell (WBC) count was higher in type A (35.4 G/l; range=1.1-279 G/l) than in cases with rare types (7.8 G/l; range=0.8-148.0 G/l) (P
