Development of Donor Cell Leukemia Following Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation for Severe Aplastic Anemia: A Case Report

Donor cell leukemia (DCL) is a rare complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) which occurs in ~5% of all leukemic relapses. In the English literature, >60 cases of DCL have been reported, however, only two cases of DCL following HSCT for the treatment of severe aplastic anemia (SAA) have been described to date. In the present study, the case of a 25 year-old male patient diagnosed with SAA, who underwent a peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) using cells obtained from a sibling with an identical human leukocyte antigen, is presented. The patient developed acute myeloid leukemia with an (8;21)(q22;q22) translocation and an extra copy of the chromosome 8 in donor cells 2.5 years following PBSCT, which was preceded by the development of Graves' disease 1 year following PBSCT. The leukemia achieved complete remission following 1 cycle of priming therapy, 2 cycles of consolidation chemotherapy with daunorubicin and cytarabine and maintenance therapy with interleukin-2 (IL-2). At present, the patient has discontinued IL-2 therapy, and the DCL has been in molecular remission for >3 years. The present case indicates that chemotherapy and IL-2 maintenance therapy are an effective treatment for DCL; hyperthyroidism was relieved following treatment, although hypothyroidism subsequently developed.