Infantile lymphoblastic leukemia with t(4;11) and septate uterus, double cervix, and double vagina: case report and review of the literature

Severe Eosinophilia in an infant with congenital acute myeloid leukemia with t(3;4;6)(q26;q25;q21): a case report

We report a case of acute myeloid leukemia with morphologic features of M7 according to the FAB (French-American-British) classification and severe eosinophilia in the peripheral blood and bone marrow at diagnosis. We consider it as congenital leukemia, as the symptoms started in the first month of life of the affected child. This case of leukemia is characterized by t(3;4;6)(q26;q25;q21) cytogenetic abnormality. The blasts in flow cytometry analysis expressed markers of megakaryocytic lineage along with expression of myeloperoxidase in 30% of them. This type of acute myelogenous leukemia with severe eosinophilia can be considered as a distinct clinicopathologic entity.

Septate uterus with cervical duplication and longitudinal vaginal septum: a report of five new cases

OBJECTIVE

To describe a unique congenital müllerian anomaly.

DESIGN

Case report.

SETTING

A university-based reproductive endocrine center.

PATIENT(S)

Five reproductive-age, nulligravida patients who underwent clinical, radiologic, and surgical work-up.

INTERVENTION(S)

Retrospective review of prior medical records and studies.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

Definition of abnormal pelvic anatomy.

RESULT(S)

Five patients from a university-based, reproductive endocrine center were found to have cervical duplication with a longitudinal vaginal septum, uterine septum, and a normal fundus. The patients most often presented initially to their primary obstetrician-gynecologists with symptomatic complaints secondary to their vaginal septums. Diagnoses were obtained with physical examinations, ultrasound imaging, hysterosalpingograms, magnetic resonance imaging, and surgical evaluation.

CONCLUSION(S)

These findings call into question the classic hypothesis of unidirectional (caudal to cranial) müllerian development and supports an alternative embryologic hypothesis of Müller et al., which states that fusion and resorption begins at the isthmus and proceeds simultaneously in both the cranial and caudad directions. The high number of cases reported here might be due to the increased accessibility and accuracy of such imaging modalities as magnetic resonance imaging. These patients will be followed longitudinally so that it can be determined whether this anomaly affects fertility and so that the optimal treatment plans can be developed.

Double vagina with sex reversal, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, pulmonary and cardiac malformations--another case of Meacham syndrome

We report a female infant of 42 weeks gestation with a left sided diaphragmatic hernia and a hypoplastic left heart. A true double vagina, absent uterus and abnormal male gonads were found in the presence of normal external female genitalia. Conventional G band karyotyping of skin samples revealed a normal male karyotype. The aetiology and inheritance are unknown. We believe this to be the fifth reported case of a recognizable syndrome first reported by Meacham [(1991). Am J Med Genet 41:478-481].

Septate uterus associated with cervical duplication and vaginal septum

A woman had an unusual müllerian anomaly with a septate uterus, cervical duplication, and longitudinal vaginal septum. Gynecologists should be aware of the possibility of cervical duplication associated with uterine septum and not didelphic uterus, as this disorder in a patient with infertility or recurrent miscarriages can be treated surgically by resection of the uterine and vaginal septum. Embryologic explanations may account for the occurrence of the anomaly.

Congenital and neonatal leukemia

Congenital and neonatal leukemia occur rarely, yet carry high mortality rates and pose special problems for the perinatologist and hematologist. Although the etiology is unknown, the presence of leukemia at birth suggests genetic abnormalities and possibly intrauterine exposures to drugs or other toxins as contributing factors. Specific chromosomal rearrangements that are common in congenital leukemia have recently been identified and promise to enhance our understanding of these enigmatic diseases. The differential diagnosis is broad and includes many disorders that occur frequently in the neonatal period. Infants diagnosed with congenital or neonatal leukemia require thorough investigative workup and extensive supportive care. Although the prognosis is poor, recent use of high-intensity multiagent chemotherapy regimens has produced promising results.

Cytogenetic features of neonatal leukemias

We reviewed a series of 41 neonatal leukemias (NL), including published cases karyotyped by banding techniques, but excluding Down syndrome-associated cases and analyzed distribution of cytogenetic anomalies with respect to other clinical variables and outcome. The most frequent chromosomal changes in this age group involve rearrangements of 11q23, which is correlated with high white blood cell (WBC) count at onset and type of leukemia. A discrete heterogeneity of cytogenetic abnormalities is also evident, however, possibly reflecting other specific pathways in NL development. With respect to prognosis, cytogenetic abnormalities are a strong indicator of poor prognosis.

Acute leukemias with the t(4;11)(q21;q23)

The t(4;11)(q21;q23) has been associated with marked lineage heterogeneity. Most of the reported cases were classified as acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The t(4;11) is one of the commonest specific chromosomal translocations in ALL, occurring in 2% of childhood and 5% of adult cases. In childhood ALL, this translocation is associated with female sex, age less than 1 year, hyperleukocytosis, CD10-/CD19+ B-precursor cell immunophenotype, and myeloid-associated antigen (CD15) expression. There also appears to be an age-related difference in treatment outcome. Adults had the worst prognosis, and children aged 1 to 9 years appeared to have a better outcome than infants or adolescents. Reported cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or secondary leukemia with the t(4;11) have not been well characterized. It is intriguing that virtually all of the reported cases with secondary leukemia had received epipodophyllotoxins or doxorubicin, agents that affect topoisomerase II and are associated with secondary AML characterized by 11q23 abnormalities. Identification of the involved gene(s) in the t(4;11) will provide a molecular approach permitting more accurate classification of these cases.

Double vagina, cardiac, pulmonary, and other genital malformations with 46,XY karyotype

We have studied two unrelated genetic males with a novel constellation of genital, cardiac, and pulmonary malformations. The genital abnormalities consisted of a true double vagina, retention of Müllerian structures, and undervirilization of the external genitalia. Both infants had complex cyanotic congenital heart defects, hypoplastic right lungs, anomalous pulmonary venous return, and abnormalities of the diaphragm. One patient had rhabdomyomatous dysplasia of the lungs. The cause of this malformation pattern is unknown. There was no family history of similar defects, no consanguinity, no known exposure to teratogens, and no chromosome abnormality. The retention of Müllerian structures and undervirilization of male genitalia in these cases could be the result of failure in production of adequate amounts of testosterone and Müllerian inhibitory factor at appropriate times in gestation. Because the developing human vagina is at no stage a duplicate structure, a double vagina cannot be the result of arrested genital differentiation. The unusual occurrence of a true double vagina should lead to careful pulmonary and cardiac evaluation.

Biologic and cytogenetic characteristics of leukemia in infants

Clinical features, leukemic cell characterization, chromosomal findings, and treatment outcome were analyzed in a retrospective study of 30 cases with acute leukemia of infancy, 24 infants with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and six cases with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia (ANLL). Extensive bulky disease with organomegaly, central nervous system (CNS), and skin involvement were prominent features at diagnosis with a higher frequency in ANLL as compared to ALL. Four of six ANLL patients were classified as monocytic or myelomonocytic. In the ALL group nine of 24 (36%) were non-L1 morphology and six of 17 (33%) were common ALL antigen (CALLA) negative, the majority of them (five of six) were included in the non-L1 group. Immunophenotyping revealed four cases with early B-cell (three patients: Ia+B4+, and one patient: Ia+) and two cases with T-cell. Mixed lineage leukemia was found in five infants. Heavy chain immunoglobulin gene rearrangement was present in six cases tested, two CALLA+, two with Ia+B4+, and two were undifferentiated mixed lineage leukemia. Chromosomal aberrations were detected in ten of 18 patients, mostly in ANLL and CALLA negative ALL. Translocations were detected in six patients, involving 4q21-23 and 11q23 in three and two cases, respectively. The probability of five-year DFS were 27% for the whole group. The worst prognosis was observed in infants younger than 6 months of age, in whom the leukemia cell characteristics was compatible with stem cell: ANLL, very early pre-B, or undifferentiated mixed type. The chromosomal aberrations found in all cases included translocation with the seemingly nonrandom breakpoints at 4q21 and 11q23, and breakpoints that corresponded to known fragile sites. This finding may be suggestive of an underlying genetic predisposition associated with the poor prognosis of leukemia of infancy.