Anatomy of Hematologic System Related

Review Anatomy of Hematologic System related questions and content

A 13-year-old girl presents with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and a WBC count of 120,000/mm3. Cytogenetics reveals a normal karyotype, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) tests for inv(16), t(8;21), t(15;17); 11q23 abnormalities; monosomy 7; and 5q deletion are negative. Molecular testing is negative for mutations in FLT3, NPM1, and CEBPA. She is treated with 10 days of daunorubicin, AraC, and gemtuzumab for induction therapy. On day 30, she recovers counts, and a bone marrow aspiration shows 2.2% leukemic blasts by flow cytometry. She receives a second course of treatment with daunorubicin and AraC, and her marrow is now in morphologic remission and is MRD-negative by flow cytometry. She has no HLA-matched siblings, but an unrelated donor search reveals a large number of potential matches. Which course of treatment is most likely to result in the best outcome?

  • A. Give two more courses of intensification chemotherapy.
  • B. Perform an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT).
  • C. Give one more course of intensification chemotherapy and then perform a matched unrelated donor HSCT.
  • D. Give one more course of intensification chemotherapy and then 1 year of maintenance chemotherapy.
Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is C because the patient is in morphologic remission and MRD-negative after the second course of treatment. Given her high-risk AML and lack of HLA-matched siblings, a matched unrelated donor HSCT offers the best chance for long-term remission. Autologous HSCT (choice B) would risk reintroducing leukemic cells. Giving more courses of intensification chemotherapy alone (choice A) may not eradicate the disease. Maintenance chemotherapy alone (choice D) is not sufficient for high-risk AML. Therefore, choice C is the best option for maximizing the chances of a favorable outcome in this case.