Infant acute bilineal leukemia.

Abstract

Most cases of acute leukemia can be assigned to the myeloid, B or T lineage. There are rare cases of acute leukemia, which cannot be clearly classified, because either blasts express antigens of more than one lineage (acute biphenotypic leukemias) or distinct blast populations of two lineages co-exist (acute bilineal leukemias, aBLL). We present a 10-month-old infant with de novo aBLL, characterized by blasts of monocytic and B-cell precursor lineages. All leukemic cells harbored identical complex MLL gene rearrangement. Despite poor initial response, both to acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) induction treatment and acute myeloid leukemia induction blocks, the child reached complete clinical remission with minimal residual disease negative status and was transplanted. Unfortunately, 16 months from HSCT the patient experienced BM relapse with all blasts characterized by pro-B-ALL immunophenotype. This case report illustrates that aBLL is a very aggressive type of acute leukemia that should be individually treated and monitored, particularly in children less than 1 year of age.

• Authors: Katarzyna Derwich, Lukasz Sedek, Claus Meyer, Anna Pieczonka, Małgorzata Dawidowska, Anna Gaworczyk, Jacek Wachowiak, Benigna Konatkowska, Michał Witt, Rolf Marschalek, Tomasz Szczepański
• Journal: Leukemia research (Leuk Res) Vol. 33 Issue 7 Pg. 1005-8 (Jul 2009) ISSN: 1873-5835 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 19286255 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Topics

• B-Lymphocytes (drug effects, pathology)
• Cell Lineage
• Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
• Humans
• Infant
• Leukemia, Biphenotypic, Acute (diagnosis, genetics, therapy)
• Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute (diagnosis, genetics, therapy)
• Male
• Neoplasm, Residual (diagnosis, genetics, therapy)
• Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma (diagnosis, genetics, therapy)
• Remission Induction
• Treatment Outcome