A 60-year-old woman was admitted in June 1993, because of anemia and purpura and given a diagnosis of acute myelogenous leukemia with trilineage dysplasia. She entered partial remission (PR) after three courses of low-dose Ara-C and G-CSF, but never reached complete remission (CR) in spite of additional chemotherapy. In October 1994, the number of leukocytes, myeloblasts, and erythroblasts in the patient's peripheral blood increased, and her clinical condition deteriorated. The disease was resistant to other therapy. The patient had pneumonia and died of septic shock in December 1994. A chromosomal analysis performed on admission showed 46,XX,t(3;5) (q21;q31) [9/9]. As an additional chromosomal abnormality, deletion of the X chromosome was observed in January, 1994. Analysis of the p53 gene by the polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism method showed one base transposition, from TAT to TGT (Tyr to Cys), at codon 220 of exon 6. Karyotype evolution and p53 gene mutation were observed during the disease course and may have been related to progression of the disease.