We report a case of acute myelocytic leukemia without maturation exhibiting a novel t(2;3)(q31;p13). Conventional cytogenetics showed the concomitant occurrence of a single metaphase with 47,XX,+8. Nevertheless, interphase cytogenetics by fluorescence in situ hybridization using a chromosome 8 alpha-satellite DNA probe showed that the percentage of cells with three hybridization signals was within the control range.