1988 Volume 29 Issue 11 Pages 2163-2167
The case of a 48-year-old female with acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) M2 associated with an abnormal karyotype, 46 XX, t (9; 13) (q34; q12) is reported. She visited our hospital on June 20, 1985 for anemia. Physical examination was unremarkable except for some petechiae on the extremities. CBC showed severe anemia, thrombocytopenia and leukopenia with 1% myeloblasts. In the bone marrow (BM), myeloblasts were 24.6% including those with Auer bodies. Significant morphological abnormalities were noted in the myeloid, erythroid and megakaryocyte series. A week later, the repeated BM study showed myeloblasts to be 30.2%. Then the diagnosis of AML M2 advanced from myelodysplastic syndrome (RAEB-T) was made. The initial chromosome analysis before the chemotherapy revealed the abnormal karyotype in all cells examined. After the treatment with low dose ara-C, the cells with the abnormal karyotype decreased and eventually disappeared when a complete remission was obtained. The chromosome analysis using the G-banding technique revealed the karyotype to be del (6) (p23), t (9; 13) (q34; q12). This type of abnormality has never been described previously. The treatment with low-dose ara-C successfully decreased the abnormal clone. This indicates that low-dose ara-C was cytocidal for the abnormal cells.
