A Case of Monoclonal Lymphoplasmacytosis of the Bone Marrow with IgM-Positive Russell Bodies

A 71-year-old Japanese male patient infected with HCV was diagnosed with thrombocytopenia. Histological examination of the bone marrow aspirate showed numerous lymphoid aggregates with Russell bodies. Immunohistochemistry and flow cytometric analysis demonstrated clonal expansion of CD5+ CD23+ B cells. Russell bodies were positive for IgM and lambda immunoglobulin light chain. The patient also underwent gastric biopsy, which revealed Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection. Subsequent eradication of the bacteria resulted in improvement of his thrombocytopenia. The clinical course remained uneventful at 15-month follow-up, consistent with monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis. The observed clonal expansion with plasmacytic differentiation may have occurred under the influence of HCV with HP infection

A novel five-way translocation t(7;11;9;22;<ul>9</ul>)(q22;q13;q34;q11.2;q34) involving Ph chromosome in a patient of chronic myeloid leukemia: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>About 5-10 % of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients show variant Philadelphia (Ph) translocations. The formation mechanisms and clinical significance of variant Ph translocations remain unclear. We report a CML case with a novel five-way complex translocation. Although the result of initial G-banding was 46,XY,t(7;11;9)(q22;q13;q34),t(9;22)(q34;q11.2), fluorescence <it>in situ</it> hybridization (FISH) demonstrated t(7;11;9;22;9)(q22;q13;q34;q11.2;q34) consisting of sequential rearrangements involving five chromosomes. The patient was successfully treated by imatinib and obtained a major molecular response. To our knowledge, this is the tenth CML case with a complicated Ph translocation involving five chromosomes and the third one treated by imatinib. Good response with imatinib therapy suggested that a single-event rearrangement was involved in the chromosomal changes.</p

The Progression of Severe Aplastic Anemia to Hypoplastic Leukemia in a Long-Term Observation after the Administration of Pegylated rHuMGDF

Thrombopoietin (TPO) is a critical regulator of hematopoiesis. We previously reported that a severe aplastic anemia (SAA) who received a short-term administration of pegylated recombinant human megakaryocyte growth and development factor (rHuMGDF). A trilineage hematologic response was induced, however the patient was diagnosed with leukemia after nine years and eight months from administration of rHuMGDF. In recent reports, somatic mutations in myeloid cancer candidate genes were present in one-third of the AA. A mutant clone may be expanded by rHuMGDF in our patient. The long-term safety of patients treated with TPO and eltrombopag remains unknown. Careful observations are warranted hereafter