Burkitt’s leukemia with precursor B-cell immunophenotype and atypical morphology (atypical Burkitt’s leukemia/lymphoma): case report and review of literature

Komrokji, Rami; Lancet, Jeffrey; Felgar, Raymond; Wang, Nancy; Bennett, John M.

doi:10.1016/S0145-2126(02)00271-0

« Previous Next »Leukemia Research
Volume 27, Issue 6 , Pages 561-566, June 2003

Burkitt’s leukemia with precursor B-cell immunophenotype and atypical morphology (atypical Burkitt’s leukemia/lymphoma): case report and review of literature

Rami Komrokji
- Department of Medicine, James P. Wilmot Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Box 704, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-585-275-4797; fax: +1-585-273-1051.
Jeffrey Lancet
- Department of Medicine, James P. Wilmot Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Box 704, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
Raymond Felgar
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, James P. Wilmot Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Box 626, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
Nancy Wang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, James P. Wilmot Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Box 626, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
John M. Bennett
- Department of Medicine, James P. Wilmot Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Box 704, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, James P. Wilmot Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Box 626, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642, USA

Received 22 August 2002; accepted 23 October 2002.

Abstract

A 45-year-old male presented with fever, night sweats, splenomegaly, high LDH, high uric acid, and high blast count with atypical L3 morphology. Flow cytometry showed neoplastic clone consistent with pre B-cell immunophenotype, on the basis of lack of cytoplasmic immunoglobulins, surface immunoglobulins, and light chain immunoglobulins. Cytogenetic analysis revealed t(8;14)(q24; q32), the characteristic translocation of Burkitt’s leukemia. A few similar case reports of Burkitt’s leukemia with precursor B-cell immunophenotype have been described primarily in pediatric literature and usually with typical L3 morphology. This case recognizes this subset in adult ALL and emphasizes the need for comprehensive diagnostic analysis.

Keywords: Burkitt’s leukemia, Precursor B-cell immunophenotype, ALL, Atypical L3 lymphoblasts

Abbreviations: ALL, acute lymphocytic leukemia, FAB, French–American–British, WHO, World Health Organization, PAS, periodic acid shif