title: Acute leukemia with natural killer cells antigens in Brazilian children.
abstract: Malignancies arising from Natural Killer cells (NK) were described mainly comprising disorders related to large granular lymphocyte expansion. Clinical, morphological and immunophenotypic characteristics of myeloid/NK cell precursor acute leukemia (M/NK-AL) have been mainly described in adult patients. We identified nine children with M/NK-AL precursor cells in a series of 264 childhood acute leukemia diagnosed in our laboratory from consecutive referrals before treatment. CD34 +/-, CD13/33 +, CD11b +, a-MPO + and CD56 +, characterized these cases with TcR alphabeta and gammadelta negative cells. The differential diagnosis between subtypes of NK leukemia with those of lymphoid or myeloid origin in childhood raises the question regarding the pathogenesis and therapeutic implications of this rare entity in children.
authors.affiliation: Division of Experimental Medicine and Cytogenetic Laboratory, Instituto Nacional de Câncer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. mpombo@inca.gov.br
authors.forename: Maria S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Pombo-de-Oliveira
authors.forename: Mércia Mendes
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.forename: Yomayra Elena
authors.initials: YE
authors.lastname: Bossa
authors.forename: Dora Maria
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Alencar
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Curvello
authors.forename: Diana Patrícia
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Agudelo
authors.forename: Núbia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mendonça
authors.forename: Edinalva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Maria L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Macedo-Silva
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D001938:Brazil; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D007938:Leukemia / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D007951:Leukemia, Myeloid / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm