Cytoplasmic CD3 expression in infant acute megakaryoblastic leukemia: A new ambiguous lineage subtype?

ABSTRACT

Several conventions have been established in order to define and characterize Mixed Phenotype Acute Leukemia (MPAL). However, megakaryocytic markers have not been included in the definition of MPAL neither in the European Group for the Immunological Characterization of Leukemias (EGIL) proposal nor in any of the WHO Classification of Tumors issues. We report four pediatric acute leukemia (AL) cases (prevalence 0.18%) with megakaryoblasts co-expressing the T-specific antigen CD3 (cytoplasmic), together with a very homogeneous antigen profile of immature cells and other lymphoid traits. In one case, the presence of epsilon CD3 mRNA was confirmed as well on sorted CD34+ blasts. All four cases were infants, and two of them disclosed trisomy 21 in the blast population (not constitutional) without being children with Down Syndrome. They were homogeneously treated with AML schemes, achieving all four CR. However, 3 patients relapsed early. Only one patient is alive and remain disease-free, with a long follow-up. Even though cyCD3 was the only T cell marker expressed, its specificity entails the consideration of these cases as a new subtype of MPAL Megakaryoblastic/T, keeping this in mind when designing diagnostic panels. Detection and report of these cases are necessary so as to further characterize them in order to define the most appropriate treatment.