Induction chemotherapy versus palliative treatment for acute myeloid leukemia in a consecutive cohort of elderly patients.

A retrospective survey of 210 consecutive patients aged ≥ 65 years (median age 69 years, range 65-88 years) with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) diagnosed at a single center over a 6-year period (January 2001 to December 2006) is presented. De novo AML was diagnosed in 179 (85.2 %) patients and 31 (14.

Isolated myeloid sarcoma of the gastrointestinal tract.

Myeloid sarcoma (MS) is a rare disease that presents as an extramedullary tumor of myeloid cells. Most patients subsequently develop acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), and their prognosis is poor. Here, we report the case of a 28-year-old woman with a primary isolated myeloid sarcoma which originated in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

Analysis of CD23 antigen expression in B-chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and its correlation with clinical parameters.

B-Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) is a monoclonal malignancy characterized by an accumulation of terminally differentiated small and anergic B lymphocytes in the blood, bone marrow and other tissues. CD23 antigen, a trans-membrane glycoprotein, promotes the activation and proliferation of normal B lymphocytes and has an important role in the process of malignant transformation in B-CLL. This retrospective cohort study of 77 consecutive newly diagnosed B-CLL patients, 43 males, 34 females, median age of 62 years, examined CD23 expression and correlations with clinical parameters.

Characteristics of novel myeloid precursor cell line, PC-MDS, established from a bone marrow of the patient with therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome.

We report on characteristics of the first human cell line, PC-MDS, derived from a bone marrow of a patient with therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome (t-MDS) who had no overt post-MDS leukemia. Classic cytology analyses, immunophenotyping, cytogenetic and molecular genetic procedures were used for characterization of the cell line. PC-MDS cells are positive for the expression of CD13, CD15, CD30, CD33, and CD45 antigen.

Immunologic abnormalities in myelodysplastic syndromes: clinical features and characteristics of the lymphoid population.

It has been recognized that some patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) develop immunologic abnormalities, but little is known of its correlations to MDS-specific disease features. In a retrospective study of 284 MDS patients, we identified 32 patients (11.3%) with clinical or serologic immunological abnormalities (group A) and compared them to the remaining 252 cases (group B).

Acquired amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia associated with proliferation of gamma/delta TCR T-lymphocytes and a BCR-ABL (p210) fusion transcript.

Acquired amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia (AATP) in adults is a rare disorder characterized by severe thrombocytopenia and decreased or absent megakaryocytes in an otherwise normal bone marrow. We present a 44-yr-old man in whom the diagnosis of AATP was established in January 2001. Immunophenotyping of the peripheral blood lymphocytes showed a relative increase in the subpopulation of gamma/delta T-cell receptor (TCR) positive (gamma/delta TCR(+)) and (CD4, CD8) negative T lymphocytes, and PCR suggested a monoclonal pattern of TCR gamma chain gene rearrangement.