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Updated: May 24, 2026

Assessment of the Metabolic Profile of Primary Leukemia Cells
Published on: November 21, 2018
Clinical and pathologic features of secondary acute promyelocytic leukemia
Amy S Duffield1, Joseph Aoki, Mark Levis
1Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Abstract:
Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a relatively common form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that has an excellent prognosis. In contrast, secondary acute myeloid leukemias, including therapy-related AML and AML with myelodysplasia-related changes, have a relatively poor prognosis. We identified 9 cases of APL at our institution in which there was a history of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, chronic immunosuppression, or antecedent myelodysplastic syndrome. The clinical and pathologic findings in these cases of secondary APL were compared with the clinical and pathologic findings in cases of de novo APL. We found that secondary and de novo APL had abnormal promyelocytes with similar morphologic and immunophenotypic features, comparable cytogenetic findings, comparable rates of FMS-like tyrosine kinase mutations, and similar rates of recurrent disease and death. These data suggest that secondary APL is similar to de novo APL and, thus, should be considered distinct from other secondary acute myeloid neoplasms.
Insights
Secondary acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) shares key features with de novo APL, suggesting it is a distinct entity. This finding differentiates APL from other secondary acute myeloid neoplasms with poor prognoses.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Oncology
Background:
- Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a generally favorable prognosis.
- Secondary AMLs, including therapy-related AML and AML with myelodysplasia-related changes, typically have a poor prognosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the clinical and pathological characteristics of secondary APL.
- To compare secondary APL with de novo APL to determine if they are distinct entities.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 9 cases of secondary APL with a history of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunosuppression, or myelodysplastic syndrome.
- Comparison of clinical and pathological findings between secondary APL and de novo APL cases.
Main Results:
- Secondary and de novo APL cases exhibited similar abnormal promyelocyte morphology and immunophenotypic features.
- Cytogenetic findings, FMS-like tyrosine kinase mutations, and rates of disease recurrence and death were comparable between secondary and de novo APL.
Conclusions:
- Secondary APL demonstrates similar characteristics to de novo APL.
- These findings support classifying secondary APL as distinct from other secondary acute myeloid neoplasms.
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