Spontaneous remission of congenital leukemia: A case for conservative treatment

A newborn infant with spontaneous remission of congenital leukemia cutis is described and a literature review of this uncommon phenomenon is provided. In view of the unusual and unpredictable behavior of this disease, chemoth erapy should be withheld unless there is evidence of an 11q23 translocation or progressive disease. Otherwise, overall survival does not appear to be affected by adopting a conservative approach. Because of occasional late re lapses, long-term followup is recommended. The biologic basis underlying sp ontaneous remission of congenital leukemia is unknown; therefore, molecular or molecular cytogenetic analysis of DNA obtained from a skin biopsy is re commended.