[A case of acute nonlymphocytic leukemia with leukemic cell infiltration to the uterus followed by bone marrow relapse]

A 65-year old female was diagnosed to have acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (M2) in July, 1990. Complete remission was achieved by BHAC-DMP (enocitabine, daunorubicin, 6-mercaptopurine, prednisolone) therapy. Complete remission had continued without symptoms for about two years. Uterial infiltration of leukemic cells occurred in May, 1992, followed by bone marrow relapse after two months. The second hematological complete remission was obtained after one course of the chemotherapy, but uterial infiltration of leukemic cells had still remained.

Leukemia cutis

Leukemia cutis is an uncommon manifestation of leukemia that is strongly associated with the presence of extramedullary disease at other sites. Patients usually present with leukemia cutis concomitantly with systemic leukemia or after leukemia has been diagnosed. Acute monocytic, myelomonocytic, and the T-cell leukemias show the highest incidence of leukemia cutis. The lesions show varied morphology and can be difficult to distinguish both clinically and histopathologically from nonspecific cutaneous lesions, which occur much more frequently. Immunohistochemistry is useful in making the distinction between them. The prognosis in leukemia cutis is generally poor; the best results have been achieved with a combination of systemic and local therapy.

Relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the inferior rectus muscle of the eye

BACKGROUND

Extramedullary involvement of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in sites outside the central nervous system (CNS) or testes is rare and may signal a refractory form of leukemia.

METHODS

The authors describe a child with ALL who experienced a relapse involving the inferior rectus muscle of the eye. This patient had been treated with a bone marrow transplant for previous bone marrow and ovarian relapse.

RESULTS

The patients had a pre-B ALL with a t(1;19) chromosomal translocation and previously had experienced relapse during therapy. At the time of the muscle relapse, she had pancreatomegaly consistent with leukemic infiltration but no CNS or bone marrow disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Relapse of ALL in unusual sites may indicate disease that is particularly difficult to eradicate. Factors in addition to age and leukocyte count at diagnosis determined risk. Additional research is needed to define these factors and develop more effective therapy.

Acute myeloid leukemia: ecchymoses as sole clinical symptom

Acute myeloid leukemia is a hematologic malignancy accompanied by specific skin involvement in only about 10 percent of reported cases. We present a case of acute myeloid leukemia in which a hemorrhagic disorder of the skin was the first and only clinical symptom of the disease before the patient died from cerebral hemorrhage.

Regulation of testicular infiltration in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia of the rat

The testis is a common site of relapse in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). In adults, testicular relapses of ALL are very rare. A similar age-difference in the frequency of the testicular infiltration exists also in the rat T-cell leukaemia. In the present investigation, the effect of various hormonal treatments and unilateral cryptorchidism on the form of testicular infiltrates by the rat T-cell leukaemia was studied. Inhibition of testicular activity by estradiol treatment (E2) of early pubertal rats injected i.p. with rat T-leukaemic lymphoblasts significantly decreased the proportion of the testis occupied by leukaemic infiltrates. The proportion of the testis occupied by leukaemic infiltrates was significantly higher in the abdominal testes of both early and late pubertal unilaterally cryptorchid rats, than in the scrotal testes of leukaemic control rats. Daily treatment of early pubertal rats with human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), or human menopausal gonadotrophin (hMG), did not have an effect on testicular leukaemic infiltration. These studies demonstrate that the leukaemic infiltration of the testis is influenced by the changes in the physiological activity of the testes.

Early metastatic stage of 2,7-FAA-induced leukemia in rats

The development from primary focus to metastasis was histologically investigated in 2,7-FAA-induced leukemia in rats. The Wistar and Sprague-Dawley strains were used, and the results were similar in both strains. The spread of lesions was classified as solitary, scattered or diffuse. Scattered leukemia lesions were divided into two groups: A and B: (A) consisted of one or a few conspicuously large foci and many small foci, and (B) had no such large foci. The interval from the first appearance of orthochromatic erythroblasts to autopsy was short in animals with solitary lesions, slightly longer in those with scattered lesions in group (A), and still longer in group (B). Conspicuously large foci were predominantly localized in the bone marrow, while small foci were scattered in the bone marrow, spleen and liver. The (A) scattered lesions were considered to represent the early metastatic stage, since they consisted of the combination of large and small foci, and the time interval from the first appearance of erythroblasts to autopsy was between that of solitary lesions and (B) scattered lesions. The leukemia induced in rats by 2,7-FAA occurred predominantly in the bone marrow, which was the primary site. It was thought that this leukemia spread rapidly to other regions of the bone marrow, and to the spleen and liver, by hematogenous metastasis.

Acute neutrophilic dermatosis with myeloblastic infiltrate in a leukemia patient receiving all-trans-retinoic acid therapy

We report a case of leukemia-associated acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis (Sweet's syndrome) that is unique because its initial histologic findings mimicked leukemia cutis. Otherwise, the clinical manifestations and response to corticosteroid therapy were typical of Sweet's syndrome. The onset of the dermatosis coincided with the onset of neutrophilic differentiation induced by single-agent leukemia therapy with all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA). Subsequent exacerbation of the manifestations of Sweet's syndrome and the ultimate conversion of the histologic picture to the expected mature neutrophilic dermal infiltrate coincided with the completion of neutrophilic differentiation in the peripheral blood and bone marrow. The ability of immature neutrophil precursors to induce cutaneous lesions of Sweet's syndrome may indicate an ATRA-induced functional maturation that slightly precedes its effect on morphologic maturation. We conclude that a cutaneous infiltrate of early neutrophil precursors does not preclude a diagnosis of Sweet's syndrome in patients with acute leukemia who respond to ATRA therapy.

HTLV-I associated cutaneous T-cell lymphoma--report of a case with atypical clinical presentation

A case of a 20-years-old black man from Salvador, Bahia with HTLV-I associated T cell lymphoma is presented. In spite of the absence of splenomegaly and leukemia, the patient had a marked cephalic tumoral infiltration associated with axillary tumors in a pattern not yet described in adult T cell lymphoma. Peripheral blood involvement was observed later on in the course of the disease. The patient underwent chemotherapy but died seven months after diagnosis.

Lymphocytic infiltration of the prostate presenting as retention

A patient with previously undiagnosed asymptomatic chronic lymphocytic leukaemia presenting with acute on chronic retention is reported. The relevant literature is discussed.

Power of the MAC (morphology-antibody-chromosomes) method in distinguishing reactive and clonal cells: report of a patient with acute lymphatic leukemia, eosinophilia, and t(5;14)

We present a patient with acute lymphatic leukemia, eosinophilia, and a 5;14-translocation, a rare but well-documented condition. In order to clarify whether granulocytes were involved in the disease, we applied the MAC (Morphology-Antibody-Chromosomes) technique to samples of the bone marrow and, during a central nervous system relapse, to those of the cerebrospinal fluid. The karyotype of the blast cells was 47,XY, + X,t(5;14)(q31;q32),i(7)(q10). Interphase cytogenetic study by in situ hybridization with an X-specific alphoid probe revealed the abnormality in CD10, CD19, and TdT (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase) positive lymphoid cells, whereas CD13 positive, Sudan black B positive, eosinophilic, and basophilic granulocytes as well as monocytes and small lymphocytes did not have the abnormality. Our results show that the eosinophilic and basophilic granulocytes in this subtype of acute leukemia do not belong to the malignant clone but are reactive. This study also confirmed the usefulness of the MAC technique in distinguishing neoplastic and reactive cells in malignancy.

Tetrasomy 8 in acute monoblastic leukemia (AML-M5a) with myelosarcomatosis of the skin

We report a new case with isolated tetrasomy 8, an 82-year-old female patient in whom multiple disseminated nodular skin infiltrations up to 5 cm in diameter preceded acute monoblastic leukemia (AML-M5a). Despite an initial response to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the patient died 1 year after diagnosis of relapsed leukemia. To assess the size of the tetrasomic clone, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis with a centromere-specific chromosome 8 probe was performed. Seventy percent of interphase cells showed four signals and 22% showed three signals. Because this trisomic clone was not detected by conventional cytogenetics, tetrasomic cells may have a proliferation advantage in vitro. Whether tetrasomy 8 arises from a simultaneous mitotic nondisjunction of both chromosomes 8 during one cell division or evolves secondarily from trisomy 8 through a second mitotic error is not known. Alternatively, trisomy 8 may originate from tetrasomy 8 by loss of one chromosome 8.

Granulocytic sarcoma of the larynx preceding chronic myeloid leukemia

The authors report one case of granulocytic sarcoma infiltrating the larynx and cervical lymph nodes in a 50-year-old smoking patient. At the time of diagnosis there was no clinical and laboratory evidence of acute myeloid leukemia or chronic myeloproliferative disease. Four months after diagnosis, bone marrow morphology was consistent with chronic myeloid leukemia, accelerated phase. Cytogenetic abnormalities (Ph 1 chromosome, t(1; 12) (p36; p13), and trisomy of chromosome 20) were also found in hemopoetic cells. Granulocytic sarcoma preceding installation of chronic myeloid leukemia, as described here, seems to be a rare clinical event.

[The morphoimmunological correlates in the leukemic degeneration of prolymphocytic lymphosarcoma]

Morphocytochemical and immunologic features of the bone marrow and peripheral blood lymphoid elements were studied in 40 patients with B-prolymphocytic lymphosarcoma in the stage of leukemic degeneration. Four types of pathologic lymphoid cells were distinguished: large prolymphocytes expressing pan-B CD19 and HLA-Dr antigens, medium-sized prolymphocytes with round nuclei, characterized by activation CD38 and CD45Ra antigens, prolymphocytes with split nuclei containing light and heavy immunoglobulin chains, and leukemic lymphocytes containing, besides pan-B antigens and immunoglobulins, antigens of the early hemopoietic (CD34) and early B-(CD10) precursors. The content of the RAS-positive substance in the prolymphocytes was inversely proportional to the parameters of activation antigens expression. Acid phosphatase activity correlated with the expression of CD22 and CD45Ra antigens.

Leukemia cutis. Analysis of 50 biopsy-proven cases with an emphasis on occurrence in myelodysplastic syndromes

The hematologic, cytomorphologic, and cytogenetic features of 50 cases of leukemia cutis (LC), occurring in 40 patients, are presented. The patients' ages ranged from 19 to 75 years (mean, 42 years). The primary hematologic diagnoses in these patients included acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia (ANLL), 13 patients; myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), 19 patients; chronic lymphocytic leukemia, 3 patients; chronic granulocytic leukemia, 3 patients; and polycythemia vera, 1 patient. Leukemia cutis developed in one patient without any known prior or subsequent hematologic disorder. The 13 cases of ANLL included French-American-British types M1 (1 case), M2 (5 cases), M3 (1 case), M4 (5 cases), and M5 (1 case). Leukemia cutis preceded blood and/or bone marrow manifestations of leukemia in nine patients with MDS and one with ANLL. The interval from skin biopsy to systemic leukemia ranged from 3 weeks to 20 months (mean, 6 months). In seven patients with MDS and three patients with ANLL, LC occurred concomitantly with leukemic transformation. Only two patients with MDS and LC did not have progression to acute leukemia during the 20 and 24 months they have been observed. Diagnoses other than LC initially were considered in five of the patients. LC was characterized most often by a dense mixed cellular dermal infiltrate that circumscribed vascular and adnexal structures. Nine patients with MDS (47%) and one with ANLL (8%) had complex chromosomal abnormalities in their bone marrow samples at the time of LC. This article reports the occurrence of LC in patients with MDS and suggests that LC is an early manifestation of leukemic transformation in these patients. These results may be important in identifying high-risk patients for early interventional therapy.

Leukemic relapse presenting as acute unilateral hypopyon in acute lymphocytic leukemia

A 16-year-old girl with acute lymphocytic leukemia in hematologic remission and no evidence of active central nervous system disease had a unilateral hypopyon as her sole site of relapse. She underwent diagnostic paracentesis and was treated with topical corticosteroids, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy to the central nervous system. Ocular involvement of the iris and anterior chamber as the site of primary disease or a relapse is a rare event. The anterior chamber serves as a sanctuary for cancer cells, and treatment protocols, including better anterior chamber prophylaxis, are warranted.

Myelography, CT and MRI in leukaemic infiltration of the lumbar theca

A 25-year-old woman with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, while in remission, developed paraparesis, with faecal and urinary incontinence. CT demonstrated increased density of the lumbar theca and enlargement of the nerve roots. Myelography showed complete obstruction below the L3 level. MRI showed increased signal intensity in the lumbar sac on T1 weighting, and the cauda equina enhanced with gadolinium-DTPA. Lymphoblasts were seen in the lumbar spinal fluid. After chemotherapy, these abnormalities resolved, as did the paraparesis and incontinence.

Adult T-cell leukemia with leukemic cell infiltration in the conjunctiva. A case report

A 77-year-old Japanese woman who had suffered from skin eruptions since 1986 was admitted in January, 1990. A diagnosis of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) was made on the basis of clinical and laboratory data. On admission, erythematous lesions were present in both eyelids. Yellowish-white elevated lesions were found along the limbal conjunctiva, and extended segmentally into the cornea of both eyes. Microscopically, leukemic infiltration into the subepithelial layer of the conjunctiva was observed. Ophthalmic manifestations in ATL have not been well described, because of a little attention paid to them.

Endothelial activation antigens in pulmonary leukostasis in leukemia

Adhesion between leukemic cells and the vascular endothelium has been suggested to play a role in the development of leukostasis in myelocytic leukemia. To define the role of adhesion molecules on the surface of endothelial cells in leukostasis, we used immunohistochemistry to study the expression of endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule-1 (ELAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in lung tissue of 4 patients with pulmonary leukostasis. Lung tissue of 2 patients with myelocytic leukemia without leukostasis and 4 patients with irrelevant nonpulmonary disease was used as a negative control. Positive control tissues included a lymph node with angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy and a hyperplastic tonsil. Weak positive staining for ELAM-1 was found in 1 patient in vessels, both with and without leukostasis. Expression of VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 in all patients tested was similar to that in the negative controls. The results of this study suggest that activation of endothelium, with increased expression of the endothelial adhesion molecules under study, is not a prerequisite for the development of pulmonary leukostasis in leukemia.

Urticaria-pigmentosa-like lesions in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (2 cases)

Two males aged 12 and 38 years presented with widespread severely pruritic blackish spots for 15 days. Widespread slate-grey patches and erythematous hyperpigmented plaques were observed with a positive Darier's sign. There were associated neck swellings, abdominal pain, anorexia, weight loss and bleeding gums in both. Peripheral blood and bone marrow showed blast cells, anaemia and thrombocytopenia. Cell surface markers confirmed the presence of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Skin biopsy showed an infiltrate of lymphoblasts as well as mast cells. Partial response was noted with cytotoxic therapy in 1 patient. Thus lesions mimicking urticaria pigmentosa may be the presenting sign of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

[Megakaryoblastic leukemia which developed from therapy-related MDS with myelofibrosis]

A 56-year-old man had a leiomyosarcoma of the small intestine in 1987. After surgery, he received cyclophosphamide for 2 years. In December, 1990, he exhibited severe pancytopenia. His hematological data were as follows: Hb 7.4g/dl, ret. 0.8%, WBC 1,700/microliters with leukoerythroblastosis and 2.8 x 10(4)/microliters platelets. A bone marrow aspiration was a dry tap. A bone marrow biopsy specimen showed a hypercellular marrow with myelofibrosis, leukemic infiltration (10.2%) and slight dyserythropoiesis. Both PPO and GPIIb/IIIa reaction were positive for blast cells and atypical megakaryoblasts. A diagnosis of MDS with an abnormality in megakaryocytic lineage was made. The patient was treated with 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3, however this therapy was temporary and he developed into acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (M7). This report suggested that some cases of therapy-related leukemia (TRL) mainly involve megakaryocytic lineage and are diagnosed as MDS with myelofibrosis which transform to M7. The fact that PAS stain of erythroblasts in the patient reported here was positive may suggest involvement of development of more precise immunological markers of differentiation and EM study will permit better diagnosis of TRL and may therefore facilitate new therapeutic approaches.

Granulocytic sarcomas of small intestine and brain are associated with acute myelomonocytic leukaemia with abnormal eosinophils and inversion of chromosome 16

We report two cases of acute myelomonocytic leukaemia with abnormal eosinophils (M4Eo) in which the presenting feature was small bowel obstruction. We suggest there is a unique clinicopathological association between small intestine involvement with leukaemia and the M4Eo subtype. Central nervous system involvement by myeloblastoma occurred in one of the two cases which is a recognised feature of M4Eo and should necessitate prophylaxis with intrathecal therapy. Inversion of chromosome 16 which is a cytogenetic marker for M4Eo was demonstrable in one of the two cases.

Value of immunohistochemistry in the diagnosis of leukemia cutis: study of 54 cases using paraffin-section markers

A grave prognosis is usually associated with leukemic skin infiltrates (leukemia cutis). However, some leukemic skin infiltrates are clinically similar to reactive non-leukemic infiltrates in patients with leukemia; thus it is of great importance to distinguish them. Fifty-four cases which were thought clinically to be leukemia cutis underwent immunophenotyping with a panel of nine T, B, monocytic, and macrophage markers using paraffin sections. Immunohistochemistry helped identify 44 cases with leukemia cutis and 10 with reactive infiltrates. In all cases of leukemia cutis, the staining patterns of skin infiltrates were concordant with cell type in the bone marrow. Furthermore, the panel of markers was usually helpful in distinguishing reactive from leukemia infiltrates, especially in cases with chronic lymphatic leukemia. Immunohistochemistry is a valuable adjunct in histopathologic differentiation of skin infiltrates in most cases of leukemia. With formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded biopsies, we recommend that CD45 (LCA), CD45RO (UCHL-1), CD3, CD20 (L-26), CD43 (Leu-22), CD68 (KP-1), lysozyme, and chloroacetate esterase be considered in cases of systemic leukemia with cutaneous papules and nodules that prove difficult to interpret with routine section.