Cytogenetic and molecular characterization of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia as a second tumor after anaplastic large-cell lymphoma in a boy

We report a case of acute T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia which developed in a hoy 8.5 years after successful treatment for anaplastic large-cell lympho ma. Cytogenetic and molecular characterizations of the second tumor were pe rformed. The cytogenetic investigation revealed a complex pattern of karyot ypic alterations, including double minutes, ring chromosomes, and a duplica tion of the p21-32 region of chromosome 1. The microsatellite DNA analysis excluded rearrangement or deletion of the TALI gene in the tumor cells; rea rrangements of the MLL gene were excluded by Southern blot analysis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of T-cell lymphoblastic le ukemia arising after treatment of CD 30(+) anaplastic large-cell lymphoma. The different T-cell receptor rearrangement evidenced in the two tumors ind icates that this second malignancy most likely emerged de novo, but was pla usibly related to the previous radiation and chemotherapy. (C) 1999, Ferrat a Storti Foundation.