Acute megakaryoblastic leukemia in children: treatment with bone marrow transplantation

Seven children underwent BMT for acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AMKL). They were assessed for clinical, hematologic, and cytogenetic findings as well as response to treatment. The diagnosis of AMKL was established by cytochemistry, immunophenotyping and/or platelet-peroxidase reactivity. Patients had received various prior chemotherapies. One was in first remission, another in second remission and five were in relapse at the time of admission for transplant. Marrow donors included an HLA identical sibling (one), phenotypically HLA identical unrelated (two) and partially HLA identical family members (four). Five patients achieved engraftment, one rejected the graft and died on day 20 after a second unrelated transplant and one died from infection on day 5. Two patients relapsed within the first month after transplant and died of recurrent leukemia. Another died of a second malignancy on day 2232. Two patients survive disease-free more than 3.8 and 4.3 years after transplant.