Rare Association of Myeloid leukaemia of Down Syndrome with Granulocytic Sarcoma

We report an 18-months old boy with trisomy 21 who initially presented with myelodysplastic syndrome MDS, and later transformed into acute megakaryoblastic leukaemia AML. At presentation he was found to have some unusual findings namely multiple soft tissue masses over scalp, left elbow and over the knee joints as well as hard mass felt in left hip. Biopsy of soft tissue of scalp revealed granulocytic sarcoma. Generally granulocytic sarcoma is seen with AML-M2 and its association with AML-M7, to our belief has rarely been reported previously.

Type II Gaucher disease manifesting as haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis

Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare and rapidly progressive disease which, untreated, invariably leads to death. Gaucher disease is a rare lysosomal storage disorder. The acute neuronopathic variant; type II, is also rapidly progressive. We report an infant with Gaucher disease type II manifesting as HLH. Immunoblot revealed a deficiency of Munc 13-4, an intracellular protein responsible for docking of secretory lysosomes. This, and other possible pathogenetic mechanisms to explain the link are discussed.

Stem cell transplantation for children with Glanzmann thrombasthenia

Glanzmann thrombasthenia (GT) is a rare autosomal recessive platelet function disorder. Stem cell transplantation (SCT) is curative, but it is only indicated in selected patients with a severe clinical phenotype or who develop anti-platelet antibodies. SCT have previously been limited to full intensity myeloablative conditioning regimens. This study details the successful outcome of SCT in five consecutive patients with GT, three of whom received reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) with stem cells from non-sibling donors. This is the first time RIC SCT has been reported in GT, and offers the possibility of curative therapy with reduced late effects.

Slide session, British Society for Haematology, 45th Annual Scientific Meeting, Manchester, 2005

Each year at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the British Society for Haematology, there is a slide session in which microscopic slides of six patients with haematological disorders are discussed by two experts. Further data and the final diagnosis are then provided. The slide session is presented here, as it occurred at the meeting.