[Congenital acute monoblastic leukemia: about one case and differential diagnosis]

Congenital leukemia is a rare disease in the newborns. It poses, however, many problems both for the clinician and for the biologist. Although of unknown etiology, the development of neonatal acute leukemia suggests a chromosomal rearrangement. Several specific chromosome rearrangements, common in cases of congenital leukemia, have been identified; it implies frequently the MLL gene. The differential diagnosis is difficult and includes different diseases frequently found in the neonatal period. We report the case of a newborn developing acute monocytic leukemia one hour after birth. Cytogenetics revealed a rearrangement of the MLL gene. The child was treated according to the protocol ELAM 02. Unfortunately, she developed multiple organ failure a few days later and died at 5 weeks.