NEAR TETRAPLOIDY IN 3 CASES OF ACUTE MYELOID-LEUKEMIA ASSOCIATED WITHMEDIASTINAL GRANULOCYTIC SARCOMA

Granulocytic sarcoma (GS) is a rare manifestation of acute myeloid leu kemia (AML), blastic transformation of chronic myeloid leukemia, and t he myelodysplastic syndromes. The mediastinum is an unusual site of pr esentation. We report a series of three female patients with mediastin al GS. They were characterized by the presence of large and bizarre bl ast cells and near tetraploidy on cytogenetic analysis. All three pati ents responded poorly to chemotherapy. Near tetraploid AML is a rare e ntity, usually present in male patients, and has not been associated w ith GS. The clinical and pathological similarities in these three case s suggest a distinct category of poor-risk AML for which more intensiv e treatment is needed. (C) Elsevier Science Inc., 1998.