Localized bone marrow relapse in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Localized bone marrow relapse is rare in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Discordant bone marrow specimens were found in an 11-year-old asymptomatic girl who had been in remission for six years and off chemotherapy for 2 1/2 years. One bone marrow sample showed marked leukemic infiltration, whereas marrow from another site was normal. Three months later, with normal peripheral blood counts, she developed severe back pain and x-ray evidence of vertebral collapse and periosteal changes in the public bone. At that time three of the four areas of bone marrow sampled showed leukemic involvement. Reinduction therapy was begun, and she is now in remission on maintenance chemotherapy. At this time, it is unclear whether routine performance of marrow aspirations and biopsies from multiple sites, in periodic follow-up examinations of patients with acute leukemia would allow earlier detection of relapse frequently enough to justify the procedure. The issue of localized bone marrow involvement, if more common than previously reported, should be addressed at the time a decision is being made to discontinue therapy.     

Localized bone marrow relapse in acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Localized bone marrow relapse is rare in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Discordant bone marrow specimens were found in an 11-year-old asymptomatic girl who had been in remission for six years and off chemotherapy for 2 1/2 years. One bone marrow sample showed marked leukemic infiltration, whereas marrow from another site was normal. Three months later, with normal peripheral blood counts, she developed severe back pain and x-ray evidence of vertebral collapse and periosteal changes in the pubic bone. At that time three of the four areas of bone marrow sampled showed leukemic involvement. Reinduction therapy was begun, and she is now in remission on maintenance chemotherapy. At this time, it is unclear whether routine performance of marrow aspirations and biopsies from multiple sites, in periodic follow-up examinations of patients with acute leukemia would allow earlier detection of relapse frequently enough to justify the procedure. The issue of localized bone marrow involvement, if more common than previously reported, should be addressed at the time a decision is being made to discontinue therapy.     

Autologous bone marrow transplantation in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

We report 25 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treated with purged autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) at a single center. Two children with high-risk ALL were transplanted in first remission and 23 with relapsing ALL were transplanted in second (n = 21) or third (n = 2) remission. There was no procedure-related mortality. The median time to engraftment (i.e. to reach a polymorphonuclear cell count of 0.5 x 10(9)/l) was 25 days (range 16-45 days). Seven children relapsed, four within five months after ABMT: 18 of 25 children (72%) are in continuous complete remission after a median follow-up period of 50 months (range 5-71 months). The predicted long-term disease-free survival is 65% in the whole group and 61% in those transplanted after relapse. Relapse-free children returned to normal activities within three months after ABMT. The major side effects were development of cataract and gonadal insufficiency. We consider the results promising, but our data do not allow comparison with results reported from treatment with chemotherapy alone, since some of our patients were referred from other centers and represent a selected patient group. Long-term follow-up of well-defined patient populations is necessary to evaluate the effect of ABMT.     

Autologous bone marrow transplantation with 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide-purged marrow for acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Ten patients age 13–52 years with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in first complete remission (CR) (1), second CR (6), or relapse (3) were treated with cyclophosphamide 50 mg/kg daily × 4 and total body irradiation 3 Gy daily × 4 followed by infusion of autologous marrow purged with 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide (4-HC) at 100–120 μg/mL. The patients transplanted in relapse also received 2 mg vincristine and corticosteroids. All marrows were harvested while patients were in CR. The nucleated marrow cell dose was 3.5 ± 0.7 × 10⁸/kg, and the CFU-GM content of the transplant was 0.4 ± 0.5 × 10³/kg after purging with 4-HC. Median time from transplantation is 48 months. The neutrophil count (ANC) exceeded 1.0 × 10⁹/L at a median of 26 days and platelets exceeded 50 × 10⁹/L at 34 days. All patients were in remission after transplantation (ABMT). Five patients relapsed 2–9 months after ABMT (actuarial rate 60%). Three patients are alive and in CR at 17+, 43 +, and 54+ months after ABMT. Purging marrow with 4-HC did not adversely affect engraftment, but it is not clear if the high relapse rate was due to incomplete ex vivo purging or inadequacy of the conditioning regimen.     

原血细胞对于儿童急性B淋巴细胞白血病预后判断的价值

目的 探讨儿童急性B 淋巴细胞白血病(B-ALL)巩固化疗期骨髓原血细胞(HGs)对于儿童急性B 淋巴细胞白血病(B-ALL)预后判断的意义.方法 回顾性分析196 例初发B-ALL 患儿,根据危险分型分为高危(n=55)、中危(n=69)和低危(n=72)3 组;根据临床结局分为完全缓解(n=165)和复发组(n=31).采用欧洲BIOMED-1 标准化流式细胞术微小残留病(MRD)检测方案,检测巩固化疗期HGs 数量.Kaplan-Meier 生存曲线统计患儿无事件生存率(EFS).结果 高危组患儿HGs 明显低于中危和低危组,差异均有统计学意义(PP1.0% 组,差异有统计学意义(P结论 HGs 可反映B-ALL 化疗效果,可用于B-ALL患儿疗效及预后的监测.     

Extramedullary relapse in the left proximal femur with Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation

We describe a rare presentation of extra-medullary relapse in an adolescent boy with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia who had undergone allogeneic bone marrow transplantation after first remission. In spite of enduring bone marrow remission, the patient experienced a local relapse in the left proximal femur within 3 years of the transplant. The findings from radiography, bone scintigraphy, and chimerism analysis with short tandem repeats as well as bone marrow aspirates taken via the iliac crests were indeterminate. Magnetic resonance imaging at the onset of hip pain was characterized by decreased signal intensity of the left proximal femur, a finding characteristic of bone marrow edema. Confirmation of extra-medullary relapse of the proximal femur was delayed until histologic proof of the computed tomography-guided biopsy samples was obtained. Overt bone marrow relapse was identified 14 months later. Reestablishment of normal donor hematopoiesis was achieved with reinduction chemotherapy.     

Novel multiagent chemotherapy for bone marrow relapse of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia

BACKGROUND: Despite improvements in the treatment of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia, approximately one in five patients will develop recurrent disease. The majority of these patients do not survive. This limited institution study sought to improve event-free survival (EFS) by intensification of chemotherapy. PROCEDURE: Twenty-one patients with either an isolated marrow (n = 16) or a combined marrow and central nervous system relapse (n = 5) received treatment according to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia protocol CHP-540. Six patients had an initial remission of <36 months, and five patients had relapsed within 1 year of completion of phase III therapy. Induction and reinduction therapy consisted of idarubicin, vincristine, dexamethasone, asparaginase, and triple intrathecal chemotherapy. Consolidation and reconsolidation therapy employed high-dose cytarabine, etoposide, and asparaginase given in a sequential manner. Maintenance therapy included courses of high- or low-dose cytarabine followed by sequential etoposide and asparaginase pulse, moderate-dose methotrexate with delayed leukovorin rescue, and vincristine/dexamethasone pulses. Therapy continued for 2 years from the start of interim maintenance in the 16 patients who did not receive a bone marrow transplant (BMT). Two patients underwent an HLA-identical sibling BMT specified by protocol. Four received a nonprotocol-prescribed alternative donor BMT. RESULTS: The complete remission induction rate was 95%. With a median follow-up from date of relapse of 49 months in survivors, the actuarial EFS based on intent to treat is 75%. There were three toxic deaths in patients in CR and two deaths from relapse. CONCLUSIONS: This regimen is toxic but effective and deserves study in a larger setting.     

Changes in T1 relaxation processes in the bone marrow following treatment in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and T₁ relaxation time measurements of the vertebral bone marrow were performed in 11 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at diagnosis. Nine of the children were re-examined after chemotherapeutic treatment. The results were compared with histological data from bone marrow biopsies obtained in close association to the MR examinations. Ten age matched children were examined as a control group. A 1.5 Tesla whole body scanner was used for the measurements. The pretreatment T₁ relaxation times of the bone marrow were significantly prolonged, compared to the age matched controls. After chemotherapy the T₁ relaxation times of the children with ALL decreased significantly towards or into the normal range. A significant correlation was found between the T₁ relaxation time and the content of malignant blast cells in the bone marrow.     

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia in a patient with Miller-Dieker syndrome

A 15-month-old girl with Miller-Dieker syndrome, a contiguous gene deletion syndrome involving chromosome 17p13.3 and resulting in lissencephaly, was diagnosed with precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Cytogenetic analysis identified both the previously detected 17p13.3 deletion and additional complex numerical and structural abnormalities, including loss of chromosome 9, isochromosome 9q and interstitial deletion of 20q. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of acute leukemia in the setting of Miller-Dieker syndrome. Herein we review the literature regarding Miller-Dieker syndrome, with particular attention to the presence of several candidate tumor suppressor genes within the deleted material.     

Rosai-Dorfman disease following bone marrow transplantation for pre-B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

A child with acute pre-B cell lymphoblastic leukemia underwent haploidentical bone marrow transplantation (BMT) after first relapse. Approximately 8 months after the BMT, he developed a soft tissue mass overlying a defect in the left frontal bone. He was found to have several additional osteolytic lesions but no evidence of lymphadenopathy or organomegaly. A biopsy of the presenting lesion demonstrated a polymorphous infiltrate composed predominantly of S-100 protein and CD68 immunoreactive histiocytic cells. Together with the presence of emperipolesis, the process was interpreted as Rosai-Dorfman (R-D) disease. He received chemotherapy with vinblastine, prednisone, 6-mercaptopurine and methotrexate and has been in remission for over 4 years. Only one previous example of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in childhood has been reported with R-D disease.     

以骨髓坏死为特征的幼儿急性淋巴细胞白血病1例

男,2岁。因发热10d,面色苍黄、骨骼疼痛2d 入院。患儿10d前无明显诱因出现不规则发热,体 温达38℃～39℃,伴乏力、食欲差。2d前体温升到 39.5℃,并出现面色苍黄、多处骨骼疼痛,血常规示: 血红蛋白86g/L,白细胞11.2×109/L,血小板64× 109/L,予抗感染治疗2d无效入院。查体:体温 39℃,急性热病容,中度贫血貌,面色苍黄,结膜、甲 床苍白,足背部、肩部可见少量针尖大小出血点,颌 下、颈部可触及2粒黄豆大小淋巴结,质软,活动度 可,无压痛,其余浅表淋巴结未触及。肝肋下 2.5cm,脾肋下2cm,质中、边缘钝。胸骨、四肢骨 骼及指骨、趾骨有明显压痛。…     

Longitudinal gonadal function after bone marrow transplantation for acute lymphoblastic leukemia during childhood

Total body irradiation and high-dose chemotherapy, applied as a preparatory regimen for bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), are particularly hazardous to the gonads and, in addition, can impair hypothalamo pituitary-gonadal control. Longitudinal data on pubertal development and gonadal function in these patients are limited. Twenty-one ALL patients (15 males, 6 females) who had successfully undergone allogeneic BMT before puberty (age at BMT: 3.4-12.3 yr) were followed up in University Children's Hospital, Tübingen, Germany over 2 (minimum) to 14 (maximum) years. Tanner development scores, serum testosterone and estradiol, basal follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) were analyzed. During pubertal age, the levels of FSH and LH rose consecutively, resulting in noticeably elevated serum concentrations in 100% and 89%, respectively, of boys older than 14 years and in 75% and 75%, respectively, of girls older than 13 years. Nevertheless, pubertal development has been normal in all patients except in one boy and two girls who required substitution with sexual steroids, as timely puberty (i.e. boys < 14 years, girls < 13 years) did not start. In males with normal puberty, testosterone levels, however, were found to be low-normal. In conclusion, after BMT preceded by total body irradiation for childhood ALL, gonadal function is impaired. Even if normal pubertal development occurs, deficiencies in long-term endocrine function cannot be ruled out. In view of the high FSH levels, the prognosis for fertility is doubtful.     

儿童急性淋巴细胞白血病复发与基因突变相关性

急性淋巴细胞白血病是儿童恶性肿瘤中最常见的类型,急性淋巴细胞白血病复发仍然是治疗的难题.随着近几年关于儿童急性淋巴细胞白血病复发机制的研究逐渐深入,越来越多的基因异常已经被证实与儿童急性淋巴细胞白血病复发相关,包括IKZF1缺失、PRED1缺失、JAK突变、CREBBP突变、CEBPE突变、ARID5B突变等.该文重点综述以上基因突变对儿童急性淋巴细胞白血病复发的影响.     

Avascular necrosis of bone in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Avascular necrosis of bone (AVNB) is a known complication of systemic adrenocorticosteroid therapy and is thought to be dose related. However, despite the large amount of prednisolone that has been used in the standard treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), AVNB has rarely been reported with this disease. We have described our experience with an adolescent girl with ALL who developed multifocal AVNB after aggressive chemotherapy, which included high cumulative doses of corticosteroids along with other cytotoxic drugs, some of which have been associated with AVNB. Five similar cases from literature are reviewed. The occurrence of AVNB may become more common in the future with the increasing use of aggressive chemotherapy. Awareness of this possibility will lead to a more rapid diagnosis and early treatment of AVNB.