Iron-laden blasts in refractory acute myeloid leukemia

Christopher Vossen; Roeun Im; Pedro Horna

doi:10.1007/s12308-023-00555-6

Iron-laden blasts in refractory acute myeloid leukemia

J Hematop. 2023 Sep;16(3):187-188. doi: 10.1007/s12308-023-00555-6. Epub 2023 Jul 29.

Authors

Christopher Vossen¹, Roeun Im^#², Pedro Horna^#²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Division of Hematopathology, Mayo Clinic, 200 1st St SW, MN, 55905, Rochester, USA. vossen.christopher@mayo.edu.
² Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Division of Hematopathology, Mayo Clinic, 200 1st St SW, MN, 55905, Rochester, USA.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

We report a case of refractory acute myeloid leukemia with DEK-NUP214 rearrangement showing circulating monocytic blasts with abundant green cytoplasmic granules on the Wright-Giemsa stain. The granules were strongly positive for Perls' Prussian blue, consistent with hemosiderin deposits. This previously unreported finding is suggestive of siderophage activity by leukemic blasts, likely associated with monocytic differentiation.

Keywords: Acute myeloid leukemia; Green cytoplasmic granules; Hemosiderin-laden blasts.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Hemosiderin
Humans
Iron*
Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute*
Leukocytes
Monocytes

Substances

Iron
Hemosiderin