Similarities of the Erythrocytes in Juvenile Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia to Fetal Erythrocytes

A 4-yr-old boy was studied whoshowed typical findings of juvenilechronic myelogenous leukemia, including massive hepatosplenomegaly,thrombocytopenia, low leukocyte alkaline phosphatase, and absence of aPhiladelphia chromosome. The erythrocytes of the patient exhibited manycharacteristic features of erythrocytesof newborn infants: the fetal hemoglobin concentration was greatly elevated (72%); the oxygen dissociationcurve of the whole blood was displaced to the left of the curve fromnormal adult blood; the hemoglobinA₂ level and the erythrocyte I antigentiter were reduced; and a structuralanalysis of the -chain of the fetalhemoglobin showed the glycine to alanine ratio in -136 to be typical of theneonatal pattern. These findings support the suggestion that juvenilechronic myelogenous leukemia is accompanied by reversion to a fetal pattern of erythropoiesis.

Submitted on November 1, 1971 Revised on December 20, 1971 Accepted on December 22, 1971