[Mast cell leukemia evolved from RAEB-T (5q-syndrome) in a 12 year-old girl]

A 12-year-old, female 5q- syndrome case of refractory anemia with excess of blasts in transformation (RAEB-T) evolving to mast cell leukemia is described. This case was admitted because of general fatigue, when her peripheral blood count revealed anemia and leukocytosis with basophil-like cells. RAEB-T was diagnosed based on the laboratory findings of her peripheral blood and bone marrow aspiration, which revealed over 10% peripheral blast cells and dysmyelopoietic changes in all three lineages. Chromosomal analysis of the bone marrow cells showed 46, XX, 5q-. Six months later, the RAEB-T phase evolved to acute leukemia, despite prednisolone, vitamin D3, oxymetholone and low-dose cytosine arabinoside treatment. She had remarkable pancytopenia, hemorrhage, and hepatosplenomegaly, which were not responsive to daunomycin, enocitabine, etoposide, and 6-mercaptopurine, and eventually died. This case was unique in that her karyotype changed to normal; 46, XX, and her blast cells were mast cell lineage during the overt leukemic phase. Interestingly, some blasts were intermediate cells possessing the ultrastructural features typical of both basophils and mast cells.