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: Give one more course of intensification chemotherapy and then perform a matched unrelated donor HSCT.
Rationale:
1. The patient achieved morphologic remission and MRD-negative status after the second course of chemotherapy, indicating good response.
2. Given the high-risk AML with negative cytogenetics and molecular markers, HSCT from a matched unrelated donor offers the best chance for long-term remission.
3. HSCT provides a curative option by replacing the patient's diseased bone marrow with healthy donor cells, reducing the risk of relapse.
4. The presence of a large number of potential matched unrelated donors increases the likelihood of finding a suitable donor for the transplant.

Summary:
- Option A: Giving more courses of intensification chemotherapy may not address the high-risk nature of the disease and may not provide a curative outcome.
- Option B: Autologous HSCT uses the patient's own stem cells, which may carry the risk of relapse due