1/1160. leukostasis followed by hemorrhage complicating the initiation of chemotherapy in patients with acute myeloid leukemia and hyperleukocytosis: a clinicopathologic report of four cases.BACKGROUND: Pulmonary and cerebral leukostasis, or parenchymal hemorrhage in these organs, are well-known early complications developing in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), particularly when myelomonocytic features, hyperleukocytosis, and/or a coagulation disorder are initially present. Commonly, these complications arise during increasing leukocyte counts (WBCs). methods: The authors describe four patients with AML and hyperleukocytosis who developed leukostasis followed by parenchymal hemorrhage. RESULTS: Bleeding in all patients occurred while their WBCs were decreasing following cytosine-arabinoside chemotherapy, and in the absence of disseminated intravascular coagulation or severe thrombocytopenia. Radiologic and histopathologic findings underscoring possible mechanisms are presented in the article. CONCLUSIONS: Alterations of cell adhesion associated with chemotherapy-induced blast lysis or cellular differentiation are possible factors contributing to this particular sequence (cytosine arabinoside-based chemotherapy, leukostasis, and subsequent hemorrhage). Prophylactic measures for managing this early complication of AML treatment include leukapheresis to reduce the WBC prior to the initiation of chemotherapy.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = leukemia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/1160. Primary myeloid leukemia presenting concomitantly with primary multiple myeloma: two cases and an update of the literature.We report one case of primary acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and one case of refractory anemia with excess blasts in transformation (RAEB-T) each presenting concomitantly with multiple myeloma, an unusual finding. The twin diagnoses in each patient were confirmed by cytochemical and immunohistochemical studies, and in one of our cases, by ultrastructural, flow cytometric, and molecular studies. The last three methods have not been previously used to document this phenomenon.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = leukemia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/1160. Long-term follow-up of relapsed acute leukemia treated with immunotherapy after allogeneic transplantation: the inseparability of graft-versus-host disease and graft-versus-leukemia, and the problem of extramedullary relapse.Long-term outcome of 23 acute myeloid (AML, n=16) or lymphoblastic (ALL, n=7) leukemia patients who had received immunotherapy for treatment of persistent or recurrent disease 1.5-26 (median 4) months after allogeneic transplantation was studied to determine eventual survival. Immune manipulation comprised donor leukocyte infusion (n=18), interferon-alpha2b and/or interleukin-2 (n=15), and cyclosporine withdrawal (n=11) in various combinations. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) developed in 12 patients. Thirteen of 20 evaluable patients responded; 6 relapsing again. Eight patients died of toxicity, and 10 of progressive disease at 3-206 weeks (median 11). Five patients (3 AML, 2 ALL) are alive in remission with GVHD 2-46 months (median 23) after immunotherapy with Karnofsky scores of 70-100% (median 80). The overall survival of the whole group is 1-206 weeks (median 12), with an actuarial survival of 22% at 2 years. The development of GVHD was associated with superior survival in multivariate analysis (P=.007). Seven patients received immunosuppression because of the severity of GVHD (grade III/IV acute or extensive chronic): 3 died of GVHD, 3 improved but relapsed concomitantly, and 1 is alive in remission with extensive chronic GVHD. Four episodes of extramedullary relapse (granulocytic sarcomas) were seen in 3 patients with AML whose marrow remained in remission. We conclude that GVHD appears to be inseparable from graft-versus-leukemia in relapsed acute leukemia patients undergoing immunotherapy with a high proportion of patients dying due to toxicity or progressive disease, and isolated extramedullary relapse seems to be unusually common.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2.2keywords = leukemia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/1160. Post-transplant acute myeloid leukemia (PT-AML).Acute myeloid leukemia following organ transplantation (PT-AML) is a rare event with only a few published cases in the literature. We present three patients who developed AML (FAB M1, M5, M4) after renal, double lung or liver transplantation. Molecular analysis detected a t(9;11) in one patient and documented the recipient origin of AML in a second patient. All patients were treated with chemotherapy. immunosuppression was reduced to cyclosporin A (CsA) and prednisone in two patients and to prednisone alone in one patient. Two patients achieved a complete remission (CR), with a remission duration of 4.6 months in one patient, the other patient died from septicemia after 15.2 months in CR. One patient was refractory to chemotherapy and died from septicemia. This report together with the documented cases in the literature suggests that PT-AML (1) develops after a median interval of 5 years after transplantation with variable latency (range, <1-17 years); (2) is heterogeneous with respect to FAB classification; (3) shows chromosomal and molecular changes typical of therapy-related AML (t-AML: -7, 8, 11q23, inv16, t(15;17)); (4) standard chemotherapy is feasible after reduction of immunosuppression and produces a CR rate of 56% with a median remission duration of 4.6 months and an overall survival of 2.6 months; (5) the major complications are early death (25%), gram-negative septicemia, progressive disease or relapse. This review provides diagnostic and therapeutic experiences and guidelines for the management of this increasing group of post-transplant patients.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = leukemia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/1160. MYC amplification in two further cases of acute myeloid leukemia with trisomy 4 and double minute chromosomes.We report two cases of trisomy 4 with double minute chromosomes (dmin): one in a woman with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), French-American-British subtype M2, the other in a man with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. In the former case, many cells without trisomy 4 but with dmin were present, a finding not observed in previously reported cases. In both cases, fluorescence in situ hybridization studies demonstrated the double minutes to be MYC amplicons. Ten cases of AML with trisomy 4 and dmin have now been described; in the five cases investigated, the dmin have been shown to be amplified MYC gene sequences.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.2keywords = leukemia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/1160. Cytology of ascitic fluid in a patient with granulocytic sarcoma (extramedullary myeloid tumor). A case report.BACKGROUND: Granulocytic sarcoma (GS) is the rare extramedullary manifestation of acute myeloid leukemia that may precede or be concurrent with leukemic infiltration of bone marrow or herald blastic transformation of a chronic myeloproliferative disorder. It has been found in most body sites and shows no age or sex predilection, necessitating its inclusion in the differential diagnosis of undifferentiated neoplasms. CASE: A 36-year-old female presented with a three-year history of abdominal pain, jaundice and fluctuating abdominal girth. Cytology of the ascitic fluid revealed myeloid cells of eosinophilic lineage at all stages of differentiation, with many undifferentiated cells. Immunohistochemical studies on a cell block confirmed the diagnosis of granulocytic sarcoma, which excluded the differential diagnoses of Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Langerhans histiocytosis. CONCLUSION: Granulocytic sarcoma may present as a serous effusion and can be diagnosed on a cytologic specimen.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.2keywords = leukemia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/1160. Chronic granulocytic leukemia, neutrophilic type, with paraproteinemia (IgA type K).A patient with chronic granulocytic leukemia, neutrophilic type, was followed for 28 months. A paraproteinemia, IgA type K, and Bence Jones proteinuria (K) appeared without prior chemotherapy with alkylating agents.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = leukemia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/1160. Acute hemorrhagic leukoencephalitis in patients with acute myeloid leukemia in hematologic complete remission.The authors describe the cases of three patients affected by acute myeloid leukemia, in complete remission, who rapidly developed neurologic symptoms leading to death. Neither clinical characteristics, nor radiological or microbiological procedures, allowed an etiological diagnosis of the neurologic syndrome. Post-mortem examination of the brain showed both macroscopic and microscopic findings compatible with acute hemorrhagic leukoencephalitis. The difficulty in distinguishing this entity from other CNS disease-related complications (e.g. leukemia infiltration, drug toxicity, hemorrhages) should not lead to an underestimation of the true incidence of this complication. We believe that with more attention to the possibility of this complication there would probably be both a greater possibility of collecting clinical informations about the real impact of this dramatic disease and a stronger hope of finding the right treatment for it.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.2keywords = leukemia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/1160. Pure red cell aplasia evolving through the hyperfibrotic myelodysplastic syndrome to the acute myeloid leukemia: some pathogenetic aspects.The authors report a 58-year-old female who originally presented with acquired pure red cell aplasia (PRCA). At diagnosis, the karyotype was normal, the serum erythropoietin level was highly elevated and no T-cell mediated inhibition of erythropoiesis was demonstrated in coculture studies. Conventional immunosuppressive therapy proved ineffective. A year later a diagnosis of hyperfibrotic myelodysplastic syndrome was assessed. The sequential bone marrow examinations in the course of the three years showed a progressive increase in bone marrow fibrosis, erythroid hyperplasia and dysmegakaryocytopoiesis, terminating in the acute myeloid leukemia. This sequence of the events included the appearance of del(5)(q13q33), four years after setting a diagnosis of PRCA. The authors suggest that the absence of both cytogenetic abnormality and the signs of dyshematopoiesis at the diagnosis of PRCA does not exclude ultimately a "clonal" category of the disease. Thus, repeated hematological and cytogenetical reevaluations are recommended.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = leukemia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/1160. Successful treatment of secondary acute myeloid leukemia relapsing after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation with donor lymphocyte infusion failed to prevent recurrence of primary disease: a case report.We report a case of therapy-related secondary acute myeloid leukemia occurring in a patient during treatment for anaplastic large cell lymphoma. In spite of response to induction chemotherapy and prompt bone marrow transplantation from his matched sister, the patient experienced an early leukemia relapse within 3 months of the transplant. Treatment with oral etoposide for 3 weeks followed by donor lymphocyte infusion achieved a 7-month remission from leukemia without any further treatment. Unfortunately, the patient suffered a recurrence of the primary anaplastic large cell lymphoma that was treated by resuming chemotherapy and local radiotherapy. The patient died 20 months after DLI, still in CR for his leukemia, due to ALCL progression.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.6keywords = leukemia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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