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Lineage ambiguity in acute leukemia
Author(s) -
Roberts George T.,
El Badawi Saad B.,
Sackey Kwesi,
Spence David,
Sheth Kirtikant V.,
Aur Rhomes J.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19861001)58:7<1473::aid-cncr2820580716>3.0.co;2-0
Subject(s) - terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase , sudan black b , myeloperoxidase , haematopoiesis , acute monocytic leukemia , leukemia , karyotype , myeloid , antigen , flow cytometry , medicine , progenitor cell , esterase , cd34 , pathology , microbiology and biotechnology , immunology , biology , stem cell , immunohistochemistry , enzyme , genetics , biochemistry , chromosome , inflammation , staining , gene , tunel assay
Two cases of acute nonlymphocytic leukemia that showed surface phenotypes characteristic of lymphoid cells are reported. The cases, both involving female patients were studied by a variety of methods including flow cytometry and karyotyping. In Case 1, the patient, a 10‐year‐old girl, had poorly differentiated myeloblasts (FAB Ml), which were weakly positive for Sudan black B (SBB), but negative for alpha naphthyl acetate esterase (NAE) and naphthol ASD chloroacetate esterase (CAE). Myeloperoxidase was demonstrated ultrastructurally in some of the blasts. In Case 2, the 30‐year‐old patient had typical myelo‐monocytic leukemia (FAB M4), with SBB‐, NAE‐, and CAE‐positive blasts. Both cases were negative for terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase. Case 1 was negative for myeloid membrane markers, whereas Case 2 was strongly positive for My7 and My9. Surprisingly, both cases showed significant positivity for B‐cell restricted antigens Bl, B2, and B4. These findings suggest ambiguous or dual lineage, supporting the concepts that some leukemias could arise from a pluripotent hematopoietic progenitor cell (Case 1) or from cells that though differentiated in some respects, could still preserve some early antigens (Case 2).