Secondary acute lymphoblastic leukemia with t (4; 11): Report on two cases and review of the literature

Abstract

We report two cases of secondary acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with t (4;11) (q21;q23) translocation occurring after chemotherapy and radiotherapy for a prior cancer. Seven previously published cases of secondary ALL with t (4; 11) (q21; q23) are also reviewed. Most patients had received a combination of topoisomerase II inhibitors (anthracyclines, mitoxantrone, or the epipodophillotoxin derivatives VP 16 or VM 26) and cyclophosphamide, which have also been implicated in the pathogenesis of secondary acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with 11 q23 rearrangements. These observations give further support to the existence of a subgroup of secondary acute leukemias with cytogenetic findings “specific” for de novo ALL and AML, especially those with translocations involving the 11 q23 region.