Clinical and biologic features of childhood T-cell leukemia with the
t(11;14)
RC Ribeiro, SC Raimondi, FG Behm, J Cherrie, WM Crist and CH Pui
Department of Hematology-Oncology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital,
Memphis, TN.
Cytogenetic analysis of cells from 622 consecutive patients with newly
diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and successful G-banding
chromosome studies disclosed seven cases with the t(11;14)(p13;q11) and one
with the t(11;14)(p15;q11). Leukemia cells in all eight cases had a T-cell
immunophenotype. The t(11;14)(p13;q11) occurred in 6.8% and the
t(11;14)(p15;q11) in 1% of T-cell ALL cases (n = 103). The t(11;14) was
associated with presenting clinical features typical of T-cell ALL: male
predominance (n = 6), age greater than 10 years (n = 3), hyperleukocytosis
(white blood cells greater than 100 x 10(9)/L, n = 5), relatively high
hemoglobin level (median, 10.8 g/dL), high serum lactic dehydrogenase level
(median, 3248 U/L), presence of mediastinal mass (n = 6), and central
nervous system leukemia (n = 2). While there were no significant
differences in presenting features between T-cell ALL cases with or without
the t(11;14), leukemic cells from patients with the translocations were
more likely to coexpress CD4 and CD8 antigens (6 of 6 v 35 of 86 cases
tested, P less than .05). Adverse events have occurred in six patients:
three central nervous system relapses [including the one with
t(11;14)(p15;q11)], two secondary acute myeloid leukemia, and one
hematologic relapse. Our results indicate that the t(11;14)(p13;q11) occurs
exclusively in T-cell malignancies of intermediate- or late-stage thymocyte
differentiation. Additional studies are needed to determine the prognostic
implications of these translocations.
Volume 78,
Issue 2,
pp. 466-470,
07/15/1991
Copyright © 1991 by The American Society of Hematology
