Acute promyelocytic leukemia relapsing into FAB-M2 acute myeloid leukemia with trisomy 8.
Acute promyelocytic leukemia was diagnosed in a 48-year-old man; the karyotype was normal, whereas reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis identified PML/RAR alpha chimeric transcripts of the bcr3 type. Rather unexpectedly, the patient did not respond to alltrans retinoic acid administration; he attained complete remission with conventional chemotherapy and became PML/RAR alpha negative. Two years later, while PML/RAR alpha negative on RT-PCR, he presented with thrombocytopenia. Bone marrow examination was compatible with myelodysplasia of the RAEB type; the karyotype was normal. Then, after 10 months, he developed overt acute myeloid leukemia with PML/RAR alpha negative, French-American-British M2 blasts; karyotypic analysis revealed mosaicism for trisomy 8.
Stavroyianni
N
N
First Department of Medicine, University of Athens, Greece.
Yataganas
X
X
Abazis
D
D
Pangalos
C
C
Meletis
J
J
D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002898:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 8; D006801:Humans; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics*; D015473:Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014314:Trisomy