Concurrent megakaryocytic and erythroid chronic myelogenous leukemia blast crisis

Chronic myelogenous leukemia with blast crisis is seen in 15% to 20% of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia. Chronic myelogenous leukemia with either erythroid or megakaryocytic blast crisis is not uncommon in the clinical setting. The incidence ranges from 0% to 33% in accordance with literature reports. The diagnosis of erythroid or megakaryocytic blast phase is often challenging because the percentage of blasts in the blood or bone marrow required for diagnosis has not been firmly established. Also, some myeloblasts can have aberrant expression of either erythroid or megakaryocytic markers by flow cytometry during clonal evolution. Early recognition of this entity is crucial because either megakaryocytic or erythroid blast crisis predicts an aggressive clinical course. To our knowledge, the coexistence of megakaryocytic and erythroid blasts has not been reported. We report a unique case of chronic myelogenous leukemia with this rare bilineage blast crisis in the background of dysplasia and marked myelofibrosis. Related literature is also reviewed.