The authors report their observations on acute myeloid leukemias associated with the 8;21 translocation. Two cases have less than the required percentage of blasts for the cytological diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia. In one case, the 8;21 translocation is superimposed on a constitutional trisomy 21. Conclusions from the 4th International Workshop on chromosomes in leukemia are highlighted, as well as certain new data relative to the biology of acute myeloid leukemias.