Objective: To report a case of T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with t(1;19)(q23;pl3) and E2A-PBX1 fusion gene, which is a characteristic translocation of childhood B cell ALL (B-ALL).
Methods: The chromosome, karyotype, immunophenotype and mRNA for fusion gene of the leukemic cells were examined by cytogenetic analysis, flow cytometry (FCM) and reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR), respectively.
Results: The cytogenetic karyotype of the patient was 47, XY, 9p+, 15p+, 17q-, der(19), t(1;19)(q23;pl3)\[5\]/46, XY\[15\], and E2A-PBX1 was positive. The leukemic cells expressed T cell markers. The patient was induced with hyper CVAD regimen (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, adriamycin, and dexamethasone), and achieved complete remission with normal cytogenetic karyotype 46 XY\[10\], and negative E2A-PBX1.
Conclusion: t(1;19)E2A-PBX1(+) can be implicated in adult T-ALL, besides childhood B-ALL.