Histiocytic Sarcoma Following B-Lymphoblastic Leukemia/Lymphoma

Am J Clin Pathol. 2019 Sep 9;152(4):486-494. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/aqz056.

Abstract

Objectives: Rare cases of clonally related histiocytic sarcoma (HS) following B-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (B-ALL/LBL) have been reported to date.

Methods: We present a patient with HS, which appeared as a breast mass 12 months after the initial diagnosis of B-ALL.

Results: Both HS and the B-ALL shared IGH-MYC and IGK gene rearrangements. Next-generation sequencing and whole-exome sequencing (WES) studies detected 35 common mutations, as well as mutations unique to B-ALL (16) and HS (15), including BRAF D594G. The patient achieved complete remission of B-ALL, but HS failed to respond to many cycles of intensive chemotherapy regimens. A partial response was achieved with sorafenib, a BRAF-targeted therapy.

Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate by WES that clonally related B-ALL and HS arise through divergent evolution from a common precursor. We present our findings together with a discussion of the previously reported cases of HS in patients with B-ALL.

Keywords: BRAF D594G; IGH-MYC fusion; B-ALL; Clonally related neoplasms; Histiocytic sarcoma; Sorafenib; Whole-exome sequencing.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Breast Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology
  • Female
  • Gene Rearrangement*
  • High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
  • Histiocytic Sarcoma / genetics*
  • Histiocytic Sarcoma / pathology
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / genetics*
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / pathology
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / genetics*

Substances

  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc