Translocations are genetic events where a piece of one chromosome breaks off and attaches to another chromosome. This can lead to different genetic disorders, depending on which parts of the chromosomes are involved and whether any genetic material is lost or added.

In relation to chromosome 11, translocations can be involved in various conditions:

• Jacobsen syndrome: This syndrome is usually caused by a missing piece of the long arm of chromosome 11 (11q). Sometimes, it can be caused by a translocation where part of chromosome 11 is lost. About 5 to 10 percent of people with Jacobsen syndrome inherit the chromosome abnormality from a parent who has a balanced translocation. This means that in the parent a part of chromosome 11 has swapped places with a part of another chromosome, without any genetic material being lost.
• Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome: About 1% of cases of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome are caused by a translocation involving 11p15.5.

Translocations can play an important role in causing different genetic disorders involving chromosome 11.