title: A hypogranular variant of acute promyelocytic leukaemia showing a heterogenic immunophenotype with CD34, CD2, HLA-DR positivity: a case report and review of the literature.
abstract: We report the case of a 46-year-old man who presented with the hypogranular variant of an acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL). RT-PCR analysis for detection of the t(15;17) fusion transcript confirmed the cytological findings by demonstrating a bcr-3 type PML/RARalpha rearrangement. According to the WHO-classification, this leukaemia fulfilled the criteria for 'Acute promyelocytic leukaemia with t(15;17)(q22;q12)'(1). Immunophenotyping revealed a leukaemic population with an aberrant expression of markers. Besides the presence of the expected immunophenotypic markers in APL (CD45 with low density, CD13+, CD33+, CD15-, CD117+ and MPO+), the population showed a positivity for CD34, CD2 and HLA-DR for at least a part of the malignant promyelocytes. Since the expression of these three markers, all together, is rather unique, we reviewed the literature to prove the relationship of this specific immunophenotype with morphology, clinical and molecular findings.
authors.affiliation: Haematology Laboratory, University Hospital Antwerp, Edegem, Belgium. lisbethpatteet@hotmail.com
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Patteet
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vermeulen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pieters
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Van Assche
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vrelust
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gaddiseur
authors.forename: Z N
authors.initials: ZN
authors.lastname: Berneman
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Van der Planken
mesh_terms: D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000378:metabolism*; D018801:CD2 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism*; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D015473:Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D018952:Antigens, CD34; D018801:CD2 Antigens; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens