Trisomy 13: a preferentially male chromosome aberration interfering specifically with myeloid proliferation and differentiation? Report of a case and review of the literature

Ring chromosome 8 and trisomy 8 in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia

We describe a child with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML M7) with trisomy 8 and ring chromosome 8. Ring chromosome 8 associated with AML is uncommon and is reported to have a poor outcome. The combination of trisomy 8 and ring chromosome 8 has not been previously reported. This 15-month-old girl had presented with a history of fever, weight loss of 1 kg, gum bleeds and pallor. Clinical examinations revealed no nodes or organomegaly. Investigations revealed pancytopenia and elevated serum LDH. Bone marrow aspirate confirmed the presence of myeloid blasts positive only for CD 41 and CD 61 on flow cytometry. Chromosomal analysis from the bone marrow showed 46, XX [13]/ 47, XX, +8[2]/ 47, XX, +r (8) [5]. The child was treated as per UK MRC AML protocol (ADE 10+3+5). Bone marrow on day 21 post-induction was in morphological remission. Repeat karyotyping revealed 46,XX suggesting that the patient was in cytogenetic remission. Cytogenetic sub grouping in AML patients provides guidelines for the choice of optimal treatment strategy. There was no HLA matched family donor and hence an unrelated donor search was commenced as she was in the group with unfavourable cytogenetics. She developed acute myelofibrosis soon after the second cycle of chemotherapy with swinging fever and rapidly enlarging spleen. The marrow showed 11% blasts with intense fibrosis. She went through a stormy period during conditioning for unrelated stem cell transplantation. She passed away on day 11 post transplantation of veno-occlusive disease of liver and multiorgan failure. This case illustrates the poor outcome in paediatric AML with trisomy and ring chromosome 8.

Trisomy 13 in a patient with common acute lymphoblastic leukemia: description of a case and review of the literature

Trisomy 13 occurring as a single cytogenetic abnormality has been associated with undifferentiated or biphenotypic acute leukemias and with an adverse prognostic outcome. We describe for the first time a case of B-cell common acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with trisomy 13 at diagnosis in an 18-year-old boy. The leukemic cells did not express myelocytic or T-cell associated antigens and no molecular abnormalities were detected. Following treatment, according to the GIMEMA ALL 0496 protocol, the patient achieved a brief (2 months) complete remission. At relapse, cytogenetic analysis showed karyotypic evolution that included two novel subclones carrying a del(6q), a del(7q), and an add(17q) in association with trisomy 13. In addition, immunophenotypic analysis revealed the coexpression of the CD33 and CD7 antigens on common ALL blasts, in accordance with other reported cases that displayed a predominant biphenotypic leukemia profile. The patient failed to obtain a second remission and died soon after due to infective complications. This report indicates that trisomy 13 can be found also in B-lineage ALL and underlines that this cytogenetic abnormality may identify a subgroup of male patients with clonal evolution potential and an adverse clinical outcome.

Polysomy 13 with concomitant deletion of 13q13-14 involving the retinoblastoma gene and the D13S25 locus in a case of acute myeloid leukemia

We herein describe a case of acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML), FAB subtype M4, with an unfavorable clinical course and a complex karyotype, including 4-9 copies of chromosome 13. Polysomy 13 was a result of clonal evolution. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) revealed a cytogenetically unrecognizable deletion within 13q13-14 that included the retinoblastoma gene (RB) and the D13S25 locus in all but one copy of chromosome 13. The only chromosome 13 that did not show a deletion affecting the q13-14 region was translocated to chromosome 7, resulting in a dic(7;13)(q21;p11). In this case, the coexistence of polysomy and a partial deletion within the same chromosome point toward a possible formation of a fusion product with oncogenic potential and its consecutive amplification as a critical alteration in this case.

Flow cytometric immunophenotypic characterization of pediatric and adult minimally differentiated acute myeloid leukemia (AML-M0)

We reviewed the clinicopathologic and immunophenotypic profiles of 7 pediatric and 11 adult minimally differentiated acute myelogenous leukemias (AML-M0). We also compared and evaluated myeloperoxidase in leukemic blasts using standard cytochemical and polyclonal antibody immunohistochemical stains. No distinctive clinical findings were noted in either patient group; however, thrombocytopenia typically was more prominent in adults. Adult AML-M0 also was associated with an immature myeloid profile (CD34+, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase positive, CD13+, and CD33+), in contrast with pediatric AML-M0, which usually lacked terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase or CD34 but expressed bright CD33 with weak or negative CD13. Coexpression of the T-cell-associated antigen CD7 was observed in both groups. Antibody immunohistochemical stains were more sensitive than cytochemical stains for detection of myeloperoxidase activity and a useful adjunct for establishing a diagnosis of myeloid leukemia in paraffin-embedded marrow tissues.

Pentasomy 13q in a case of acute myelogenous leukemia (Mo)

A case of acute myelogenous leukemia Mo FAB subtype with a pentasomy 13q (associated with a trisomy 19 in a subclone) in the initial bone marrow metaphase cells is reported. The pentasomy 13q is the result of the presence of double isochromosome 13q and one normal chromosome 13. In our case, this abnormality had a poor prognosis.

MDS and AML with trisomy 8 as the sole chromosome aberration show different sex ratios and prognostic profiles: a study of 115 published cases

A number of chromosome aberrations occur nonrandomly as the sole aberration in malignant and premalignant hematological disorders. They imply very different prognoses. For most of them the survival consequences have been established. For trisomy 8, which is the most frequent numerical aberration in myeloid disorders, the prognostic implications have not been investigated. In order to clarify survival in patients with trisomy 8 as the sole aberration, the literature was searched for such cases. In 115 patients survival data were available. In 103 (89.6%), a myeloid disorder had been diagnosed. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or a myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) occurred in 100 cases (87.0%). The median survival was found to be 17.1 months. On multivariate survival analysis (Cox), age above 60 and a leukemic diagnosis were found to be independent adverse prognostic indicators. MDS patients survived significantly longer (median 21 months) than AML patients (median 15 months). In MDS age and in AML the trisomy 8 clonal size was an independent prognostic factor. An unexpected observation was a clear male preponderance in trisomy 8 MDS (about two-thirds of cases). In trisomy 8 AML an approximate 1:1 ratio was found. Browsing of Mitelman's catalog confirmed these ratios.