Distinct Clones are Associated with the Development of Transient Myeloproliferative Disorder and Acute Megakaryocytic Leukemia in a Patient with Down Syndrome

Children with Down syndrome (DS) have an approximately 20-fold higher incidence of leukemia than unaffected children, and most leukemia cases with DS present as acute megakaryocytic leukemia (AMKL). At least 10% of neonates with DS develop transient myeloproliferative disorder (TMD), and 20% to 30% of patients with TMD develop AMKL. Mutations in the GATA1 gene are identified not only in AMKL patients but also in TMD patients; however, sequential analysis of GATA1 is not often performed in the same patients. We describe a child with DS who developed TMD followed by AMKL and have identified different mutations in the GATA1 gene during the course of TMD and AMKL. Distinct clones were associated with the development of TMD and AMKL in this patient.     

Granulocytic sarcoma presenting with malignant anasarca in a patient with secondary acute myeloid leukemia

Granulocytic sarcomas (GS) are rare extramedullary tumor masses composed of immature cells derived from the hematopoietic myeloid series. GS occur in 3% to 7% of cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and can present before, during, or even after the diagnosis of AML. GS can involve different organs, individually or simultaneously, including the skin, lymph nodes, bone, breast, central nervous system, and lung among others. GS involving peritoneal and pleural fluids is a rare presentation. We present an unusual case of a patient with myelodysplastic syndrome whose disease progressed into a secondary AML and developed GS in the ascitic and pleural effusions as the predominant manifestation of disease progression.     

41例急性髓细胞白血病患者的细胞遗传学分析

目的了解急性髓细胞白血病的细胞遗传学特征及其与预后的关系。方法对41例以FAB分类标准确诊的AML初发患者的细胞遗传学资料进行回顾性分析,应用骨髓细胞短期培养法制备染色体标本,以R显带技术进行核型分析。结果共检出异常核型16例（39．0％）,单纯数目异常的有2例,染色体结构异常的12例,其余2例同时有数目及染色体结构异常。本组中最常见的结构异常为t（15;17）,t（8;21）。结论细胞遗传学对急性髓细胞白血病的诊断具有重要的意义,特别是与FAB分型具有特异性的t（15;17）,t（8;21）染色体异常对急性白血病的诊断具有决定意义。     

C-kit receptor (CD0117) expression in acute leukemia

The murine monoclonal antibody YB5.B8 (CD117) identifies a transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor encoded by the human c-kit proto-oncogene. In this study we investigated the expression of c-kit on different types of acute leukemia to determine the degree of specificity and sensitivity of this marker for the myeloid and lymphoid lineages. C-kit was positive in over half of the 115 cases of acute leukemia studied. Overall, two thirds of AML cases expressed c-kit, whereas only one of 23 ALL patients was c-kit positive. C-kit was also positive in 16 of 19 cases of myeloid blast crisis of myeloproliferative disorders and negative in four with a lymphoid phenotype. There was no correlation between c-kit expression and the degree of myeloid differentiation by FAB subtypes or other markers. We conclude that c-kit is a specific marker for the myeloid lineage, which is expressed early during hematopoietic differentiation and can aid the diagnosis of AML in difficult cases. More patients need to be tested to establish whether the expression of c-kit may define AML subgroups of prognostic significance.     

淋系分化抗原在急性髓细胞白血病中的表达及其意义

目的 探讨淋系分化抗原在急性髓细胞白血病（ＡＭＬ）的表达及其临床意义。方法 采用ＡＰＡＡＰ法和流式细胞术检测６４例ＡＭＬ的免疫表型。结果 ９例除表达髓系抗原外尚有淋系抗原表达（Ｌｙ＾＋ＡＭＬ）。Ｌｙ＾＋ＡＭＬ组于初诊时肝脾肿大明显,白细胞总数较Ｌｙ＾－ＡＭＬ组高。用标准方案诱导化疗,其中仅１例部分缓解。结论 Ｌｙ＾＋ＡＭＬ细胞对于常规诱导缓解方案不敏感,选择兼顾ＡＬＬ＋ＡＭＬ的方案可提高治疗效果。     

Acute megakaryoblastic leukemia following transient myeloproliferative disorder in a patient without down syndrome

Transient myeloproliferative disorder (TMD) and subsequent acute myeloid leukemia (AML) occur with increased frequency in infants and children with Down syndrome. TMD can also occur in phenotypically normal newborns. We describe the second case of a non-Down syndrome child with TMD who subsequently developed AML. Trisomy 21 karyotype was restricted to hematopoietic cells in the blood and bone marrow. No other karyotypic abnormalities were found. Leukemic blasts showed megakaryoblastic features with immunophenotyping. This case shows that TMD in a child without Down syndrome may not be entirely benign. Close follow-up is warranted. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Analysis of the cellular DNA and RNA content in acute leukemias by flow cytometry

Summary In the present study bone marrow samples from 573 patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid (AML) and lymphoblastic or undifferentiated leukemias (ALL/AUL), were analysed for their cellular DNA und DNA/RNA content, respectively, by means of flow cytometry. From 237 patients with AML 35.4% revealed aneuploid DNA stemlines. While no relation of DNA aneuploidy with other pretherapeutic parameters, including FAB subtype, white blood cell count, lactate dehydrogenase, S-phase index and percentage of blasts in the bone marrow, was observed, cases with aneuploid DNA stemlines revealed a tendency towards longer remission duration. In ALL/AUL 21.8% of 280 patients expressed DNA aneuploidies, which were less frequently found in T-cell ALL (11.1%) as compared to common(C)-ALL (21.4%) or null-cell(null)-ALL (23.5%). DNA aneuploidy was not related with other clinically defined risk factors such as age, white blood cell count, and rapid achievement of remission. Patients with DNA indices <1.0, however, tended to have shorter remissions. A significant difference in RNA indices was observed between AML and ALL/AUL with median values of 14.4 and 10.1, respectively (P<0.05). These data indicate the usefulness of flow cytometric analyses of cellular DNA and RNA content for the characterization and classification of acute leukemias, complementing the identification of clinical risk factors, immuno-phenotyping and cytogenetics.Abbreviations AML acute myeloid leukemia - ALL acute lymphoblastic leukemia - AUL acute undifferentiated leukemia - T-ALL, C-ALL and Null-ALL T-cell, common and Null-cell ALL     

应用大剂量强化治疗延长急性白血病患者缓解期和生存期

采用大剂量阿糖胞苷及柔红霉素(HD-AD)治疗缓解急性髓系白血病(AML)22例,大剂量氨甲喋呤及左旋门冬酰胺酶(HD-MA)治疗缓解期急性淋巴细胞白血病(ALL)8例。使AML和ALL的平均缓解期分别达到26.6月和32.5月,明显优于一般巩固化疗效果(分别为11.6月和7.0月),2年以上的生存率达57%,3年以上者27%,表明大剂量化疗用于急性白血病的巩固治疗是延长缓解期和生存期的有效措施之一。     

交叉表达淋系和髓系相关抗原的急性白血病的生物学及临床特征研究

目的：探讨交叉表达淋系和髓系相关抗原的急性白血病患者的生物学与临床特征及预后。方法：用流式细胞术检测白血病细胞的免疫表型，根据FAB亚型和免疫标记将病例分为6组；CD7表达阳性的急性髓细胞性白血病（CD7^ AML）、CD7表达阴性的伴淋系相关抗原的急性髓细胞性白血病（CD7^-Ly^ AML）、不伴淋系相关抗原的急性髓细胞性白血病（Ly^-AML）、伴髓系相关抗原的急性淋巴细胞性白血病（My^ ALL）、不伴髓系相关抗原的急性淋巴细胞性白血病（My^-ALL）和急性杂翕生白血病（HAL）。结果：CD7^ AML组的白细胞数高于Ly^-AML组及CD7^-Ly^ AML组，诱导缓解率（16.7％）低于Ly^-AML组（71.4％），有显著差异；CD7^-Ly^ AML组与Ly^-AML组分别比较，发病年龄较高，白细胞数较高，贫血较明显，平均缓解期及平均生存期较短。结论：CD7^ AML及CD7^-Ly^ AML具有不同的临床特征，预后较差，可以看作一个独特的临床亚型。HAL与My^ ALL相比较，具有不同的临床特征，应该区别对待。     

Secondary acute lymphoblastic leukemia with t (4; 11): Report on two cases and review of the literature

Summary We report two cases of secondary acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with t (4;11) (q21;q23) translocation occurring after chemotherapy and radiotherapy for a prior cancer. Seven previously published cases of secondary ALL with t (4; 11) (q21; q23) are also reviewed. Most patients had received a combination of topoisomerase II inhibitors (anthracyclines, mitoxantrone, or the epipodophillotoxin derivatives VP 16 or VM 26) and cyclophosphamide, which have also been implicated in the pathogenesis of secondary acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with 11 q23 rearrangements. These observations give further support to the existence of a subgroup of secondary acute leukemias with cytogenetic findings specific for de novo ALL and AML, especially those with translocations involving the 11 q23 region.     

Unusual diffuse liver fibrosis accompanying transient myeloproliferative disorder in Down's syndrome: a report of four autopsy cases and proposal of a hypothesis.

Transient myeloproliferative disorder (TMD), an acute leukemia-like disorder in neonates with Down's syndrome, is characterized by spontaneous regression of abnormal blast growth. Because proliferating blasts frequently express phenotypes of megakaryocytic lineage and, as a result, this disorder resembles acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AMKL), it would be of interest to determine whether myelofibrosis, a common complication of AMKL, is also present in TMD. Pathologic observations of four autopsy cases of TMD showed that myelofibrosis was not present in any of them, whereas intralobular diffuse liver fibrosis was present in all of them. Laboratory data of four additional cases showed hepatic dysfunction in all of them, suggesting a close association between hepatic lesions and TMD. From these results, we propose a hypothesis that the abnormal blasts with megakaryocytic properties in TMD originate from the fetal liver and cause liver fibrosis, as AMKL cells are thought to cause myelofibrosis by producing collagen-stimulating cytokines in the bone marrow. This hypothesis also seems to explain some other unique aspects of TMD.     

Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-positive acute myeloblastic leukemia

Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) is a biochemical marker for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In studies of ALL at diagnosis, there are usually greater than 40% TdT-positive cells by indirect immunofluorescence, whereas acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) shows less than 1% TdT-positive cells. Rare cases of TdT-positive AML have been reported. We present here three AML patients with TdT in 15%, 45%, and 90% of the leukemic blasts. The diagnosis of AML was established on the basis of morphology and cytochemistry, and the cases included one patient with Auer rods. Myeloperoxidase was present respectively in 20%, 90%, and 5% of the blasts. There was no Philadelphia chromosome present in the three cases. These results may indicate the simultaneous presence of lymphoid and myeloid populations, or the presence of a blast cell with both lymphoid and myeloid markers.