We report an acute myelogenous leukemia patient with mucormycosis who died of massive hemoptysis during antifungal therapy. The diagnosis was made postmortem and autopsy revealed that the pulmonary nodule consisting of mucorales protruded over the luminal surface of the aorta. Microscopic examination showed the invasion of mucor hyphae into the wall of the aortic arch. Surgical treatment may be indicated for patients with pulmonary mucormycosis refractory to amphotericin B therapy.
Letters and correspondence submitted for possible publication must be identified as such. Text length must not exceed 500 words and five bibliographic references. A single concise figure or table may be included if it is essential to support the communication. Letters not typed double-spaced will not be considered for publication. Letters not meeting these specifications will not be returned to authors. Letters to the Editor are utilized to communicate a single novel observation or finding. Correspondence is to be used to supplement or constructively comment on the contents of a publication in the journal and cannot exceed the restrictions for Letters to the Editor. The Editor reserves the right to shorten text, delete objectional comments and make other changes to comply with the style of the journal. Permission for publication must be appended as a postscript. Submissions must be sent to Marcel €. Conrad, M.D., Associate Editor, American Journal of Hematology, USA Cancer Center, Mobile, Alabama 36688 to permit rapid consideration for publication.negative, myeloperoxidase 6% positive, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (Tdt) 34% positive. CALLA was 0%. CD2 22%. CDl9 15%. CD33 6%. CD34 1 I%.Cytogenetic studies of the patient were as follows. Bone marrow chromosome analysis revealed 46,XX. Peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures established normal and diepoxybutane (DEB) induction of chromosome and chromatid breaks and gaps. Chromosome analysis of 50 metaphases showed 3.20% breakslcell.The patient was treated with vincristine. L-asparaginase, daunorubicine, and prednisolone therapy, and she died.Recently, in the identification of FA, the chromosome breakage test has become more specific with the addition of DNA cross-linking agents into lymphocyte culture L1-31. In our patient, DEB positivity proved that the patient had FA. FA has a heterogeneity in clinical and cytogenetic findings [21. The significance of marrow clonal cytogenetic abnormalities is unclear and does not necessarily indicate impending leukemia. Analysis of data from the International FA Registry revealed a high risk of leukemic transformation in between 32% and 50% of FA patients 151. Although most leukemias observed in children are ALL, nearly all FA-associated leukemias are of myeloid origin [4]. This association suggests that FA is a preleukemic condition for AML. While the occurrence of ALL in patients with FA may be a coincidence, the possibility that FA may predispose patients to develop ALL must be considered.
A 20-year-old female with Ph+ acute myelogenous leukemia (M2) associated with t(7;11)(p15;p15) is reported. Bone marrow aspirates were hypercellular with leukemic cells including Auer rods. Chromosome analysis showed t(7;11) and the Ph chromosome. After complete remission, normal karyotype was restored. Normal male karyotypic cells replaced the bone marrow following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation from her brother. On day 358, cytogenetic study at relapse revealed 14q+ as an additional change and clearly showed that the abnormal clone was derived from the patient, because metaphases with XX were all of abnormal karyotype and those with XY were normal.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.