Brachial Plexus Involvement of Myeloid Sarcoma Detected by Reconstruction Magnetic Resonance Neurography

Granulocytic Sarcoma: A Rare Cause of Wrist Pain

Septic, inflammatory, or crystal-induced arthritis are common etiologies of wrist pain without antecedent trauma associated with pain, loss of motion, swelling, redness, and warmth. In this report, we detail the case of granulocytic sarcoma of the wrist that presented as acute wrist pain, swelling, and limitation in motion. Granulocytic sarcoma is an exceedingly rare extramedullary tumor associated with acute myeloblastic leukemia. It may be found in any part of the body; however, upper extremity involvement is uncommon. To our knowledge, this is the first description of granulocytic sarcoma occurring in the wrist joint.

Myeloid sarcoma, chloroma, or extramedullary acute myeloid leukemia tumor: A tale of misnomers, controversy and the unresolved

The World Health Organization classification and definition of "myeloid sarcoma" is imprecise and misleading. A more accurate term is "extramedullary acute myeloid leukemia tumor (eAML)." The pathogenesis of eAML has been associated with aberrancy of cellular adhesion molecules, chemokine receptors/ligands and RAS-MAPK/ERK signaling. eAML can present with or without synchronous or metachronous intramedullary acute myeloid leukemia (AML) so a bone marrow evaluation is always recommended. Accurate diagnosis of eAML requires tissue biopsy. eAML confined to one or a few sites is frequently treated with local therapy such as radiotherapy. About 75-90% of patients with isolated eAML will develop metachronous intramedullary AML with a median latency period ranging from 4 to 12 months; thus, patients with isolated eAML may also be treated with systemic anti-leukemia therapy. eAML does not appear to have an independent prognostic impact; selection of post-remission therapy including allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (alloHCT) is typically guided by intramedullary disease risk. Management of isolated eAML should be individualized based on patient characteristics as well as eAML location and cytogenetic/molecular features. The role of PET/CT in eAML is also currently being elucidated. Improving outcomes of patients with eAML requires further knowledge of its etiology and mechanism(s) as well as therapeutic approaches beyond conventional chemotherapy, ideally in the context of controlled trials.