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From initiation to eradication: the lifespan of an MLL-rearranged therapy-related paediatric AML

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 50, pages 1382–1384 (2015)Cite this article

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Therapy-related AML (tAML) is one of the most prevalent secondary malignant neoplasms in paediatric cancer survivors. Estimates of incidence and association with causative chemotherapeutic agents are mainly based on epidemiological data. Individual courses revealing the exact timing of the first clone appearance and its development under treatment are limited owing to the overall low incidence, which does not justify repeated bone marrow sampling in order to detect the occurrence of potentially leukemic cells.

Here we report a unique case of tAML arising after neuroblastoma treatment that was tracked by the presence of a MLL-DCP1A translocation. Kinetics of the malignant clone implied disease initiation by the first etoposide doses, allowed a quantitative follow-up during chemotherapy and suggested clone eradication by a GvL reaction.

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Author notes

  1. J Bradtke & W Holter

    Present address: Department of Paediatrics, St Anna Children's Hospital, Medical University, Kinderspitalgasse 6, Vienna 1090, Austria,

  2. M Krumbholz: These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Paediatric Oncology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany

    M Krumbholz, D Stachel, W Holter & M Metzler

  2. Oncogenetic Laboratory, Molecular Pathology, Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Giessen and Marburg, Giessen, Germany

    J Bradtke

  3. Department of Paediatics, St. Hedwig Hospital, Regensburg, Germany

    O Peters

  4. Department of Paediatric Oncology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany

    B Hero

  5. Department of Genetics, University of Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany

    R Slany

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  1. M Krumbholz
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  8. M Metzler
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to M Metzler.

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Krumbholz, M., Bradtke, J., Stachel, D. et al. From initiation to eradication: the lifespan of an MLL-rearranged therapy-related paediatric AML. Bone Marrow Transplant 50, 1382–1384 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2015.155

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