A Leukemic Presentation of Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma in a 52-Year-Old Woman Without an Identifiable Primary Tumor

A 52-year-old woman presented with fatigue and thrombocytopenia. Imaging studies were unremarkable with the exception of a positron emission tomography scan, which demonstrated intense F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose uptake fusing to the marrow. A bone marrow aspirate was notable for large discohesive cells with basophilic cytoplasm, and flow cytometric analysis identified a population of phenotypically unusual cells that coexpressed CD56 and CD71. Immunohistochemical findings in the marrow biopsy demonstrated that the neoplasm was alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, further supported by the presence of a t(2;13). This unusual case demonstrates that leukemic presentations of rhabdomyosarcoma can occur in older adults in the absence of an identifiable primary tumor.

Source: International Journal of Surgical Pathology - January 7, 2015 Category: Pathology Authors: Kern, J. B., Hii, A., Kruse, M. J., Szabo, Z., Argani, P., Hibbard, M. K., Gladstone, D. E., Meyer, C., Zheng, R., Borowitz, M. J., Duffield, A. S. Tags: Case Reports Source Type: research