Leukemia of early infancy. Early B-cell lineage associated with t(4:11).
A case of infantile acute leukemia associated with translocation t(4:11)(q21:q23) is reported. This leukemia has a very poor prognosis, and this patient survived for only 9 months. The blast cell morphology was L1/L2 according to the FAB classification and showed a lymphoid appearance on transmission electron microscopy. The histochemical stains showed a pattern of periodic acid-Schiff positivity and variable alpha-naphtyl acetate staining. The cells were TdT-positive and surface-marker phenotyping was positive for Ia-like and B4 antigens but negative for CALLA, T-cell markers, myelocyte and monocyte markers. The leukemic cells represent a frozen state of a very early precursor, corresponding to the earliest recognizable stage of the B-cell lineage. This observation may contribute to the controversion regarding the cell origin of this unique leukemia associated with t(4:11), lymphatic versus null cell, early myeloid, or mixed, and points to the possibility of a very early B-cell lineage leukemia.
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D001402:B-Lymphocytes; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D002905:Chromosomes, Human, 4-5; D002906:Chromosomes, Human, 6-12 and X; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007621:Karyotyping; D007938:Leukemia / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D014178:Translocation, Genetic
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm