Blastic transformation of chronic lymphocytic leukemia

A case is described of a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia whose disease underwent blastic transformation. The transformed cells had the same immunoglobulin types (mu and kappa) as the original chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells. Immunoperoxidase staining technique demonstrated that, in the transformed cells of the bone marrow, much of the immunoglobulin was intracellular. In the peripheral blood the transformed cells had dense surface immunoglobulin and features of primitive T-cells. These findings suggest that transformation to an immunoblastic type of leukemia had occurred.