title: A case of Waldenström macroglobulinemia terminating in acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
abstract: A case of acute lymphoblastic leukemia occurring in a patient with Waldenström macroglobulinemia more than 6 years after the onset of the disease is reported. At the time of acute transformation, bone marrow and peripheral blood lymphoid populations were almost entirely represented by lymphoblasts; the serum monoclonal peak had disappeared and no cells bearing surface or intracytoplasmic immunoglobulins were found. This observation suggests that the blast crisis might be derived from a dedifferentiative process within the lymphatic clone of the chronic phase.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Angelopoulos
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Camerone
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guzzini
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Polli
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000209:etiology*; D008258:Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia / Q000150:complications*