OCCURRENCE OF A KI-1-POSITIVE ANAPLASTIC LARGE-CELL LYMPHOMA IN A PATIENT WITH PH POSITIVE CHRONIC MYELOGENOUS LEUKEMIA SUCCESSFULLY TREATED BY ALPHA-INTERFERON

We describe a patient with Philadelphia-chromosome-positive (Ph'+) chr onic myelogenous leukemia (CML), who developed an anaplastic large cel l lymphoma (ALCL) with T-phenotype, after 43 months successful treatme nt with alpha-interferon (IFN). Characterization studies of lymphoma c ells showed positivity for Ki-1 monoclonal antibody, T-cell surface ma rkers, T-cell receptor beta chain rearrangement, and germline configur ation of the BCR gene. At the time of lymphoma diagnosis, the patient had achieved complete hematologic remission from CML with partial kary otypic conversion (50% Ph'+ cells). After twelve weekly courses of pol ychemotherapy, he obtained complete remission from lymphoma. At presen t, five years from CML diagnosis, the patient has a remarkably stable disease, being in remission from lymphoma and in well controlled CML c hronic phase. Our case thus represents the first well documented descr iption of a T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma developed during the course of CML.