Philadelphia chromosome-positive Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a de novo acute leukemia in which patients show no evidence of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) before or after their treatment. This kind of leukemia has an aggressive clinical course, with poor response to traditional chemotherapy or monotherapy with Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKI), and a high risk of early relapse after induction therapy. We report a rare case of de novo ALM with t(9;22). A 26-year-old male patient was referred to our hospital for an examination of anemia, thrombocytopenia (hemoglobin 5.7 g/dL and platelets 110 000/L) and elevated White Blood Cell (WBC) count (11 600 μ/L, 24% segmented, 63% lymphocytes, 11% monocytes). Bone marrow smear was compatible with AML. Cytogenetic study revealed t(9;22)(q34;q11). Our patient was treated with chemotherapy for AML and a second-generation TKI and remains in complete remission pending a bone marrow transplant.
Keywords: acute myeloid leukemia; philadelphia chromosome; tyrosine kinase inhibitor.