Medulloblastoma simulating acute myeloid leukemia: Case report with a review of "myeloid antigen" expression in nonhematopoietic tissues and tumors

Joan E. Etzell, Corinne Keet, William McDonald, Anuradha Banerjee

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

Medulloblastoma is a primitive neuroectodermal tumor arising in the posterior fossa usually in the first decade of life. Systemic metastases are infrequent at diagnosis and usually occur after surgical resection or shunt placement. We report a rare case of medulloblastoma in an 18-year-old woman who presented with headache, leukopenia, and anemia. Neurologic examination was normal. Bone marrow evaluation revealed primitive cells morphologically resembling blasts. By flow cytometry, these cells lacked CD45 and expressed CD13/33, CD15, CD34, HLA-DR, and strong CD56. The presence of myeloid antigens and CD34 suggested acute myeloid leukemia; however, the bone marrow core biopsy architecture and tumor cells in cerebrospinal fluid were more compatible with a nonhematopoietic tumor. Further workup revealed a cerebellar mass, and a diagnosis of desmoplastic medulloblastoma was made. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a nonhematopoietic small round blue-cell tumor expressing multiple myeloid antigens and CD34 by flow cytometry.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)703-710
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Volume28
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2006
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Acute myeloid leukemia
  • Flow cytometry
  • Immunophenotyping
  • Medulloblastoma
  • Myeloid antigens
  • Primitive neuroectodermal tumor
  • Small round blue cell tumor

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
  • Hematology
  • Oncology

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