ATI Hematologic System Related

Review ATI Hematologic System related questions and content

You examine a 10-year-old boy with severe aplastic anemia. He has no dysmorphic features and is at the 50th percentile for height and weight. Family history includes a sister with aplastic anemia unresponsive to anti-human thymocyte globulin (ATG) and cyclosporine who died early in the course of an unrelated donor hematopoietic stem cell transplant complicated by severe mucositis and transplant-related organ toxicities. There are no other siblings. A cousin died of acute myeloid leukemia at age 5 years. A peripheral blood sample test for Fanconi anemia is negative with no increased chromosomal breaks in response to diepoxylbutane or mitomycin C. Which of the following is the most important next step in management?

  • A. Administer ATG and cyclosporine.
  • B. Search for a donor for matched unrelated transplant.
  • C. Send a bone marrow aspirate for Fanconi anemia testing.
  • D. Send a skin fibroblast culture for Fanconi anemia testing.
Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The correct answer is D: Send a skin fibroblast culture for Fanconi anemia testing. This is the most important next step in management because the patient's family history, particularly the sister's unresponsiveness to ATG and cyclosporine and the cousin's history of leukemia, raises suspicion for Fanconi anemia. Testing for Fanconi anemia is crucial as it is an inherited bone marrow failure syndrome that predisposes individuals to aplastic anemia and leukemia. Skin fibroblast culture is the preferred test for diagnosing Fanconi anemia as it can detect chromosomal abnormalities indicative of the disease. Options A and B are not appropriate as the patient's sister did not respond to ATG and cyclosporine, and searching for a donor for transplant without confirming the underlying cause of aplastic anemia could lead to transplant failure. Option C is also not the best choice as the peripheral blood sample test for Fanconi anemia was already negative, and a skin fib