The presence of a Philadelphia chromosome with a corresponding BCR-ABL1 rearrangement is the hallmark of chronic myeloid leukemia, but is considered a very rare event in de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Here, we report the first case in which a dominant Philadelphia chromosome-positive subclone was detected upon relapse in a formerly Philadelphia chromosome-negative MLL-AF6+ AML. Due to refractory disease under salvage chemotherapy, the patient was started on nilotinib treatment. As a result, the Philadelphia chromosome-positive subclone was eradicated within 1 month; however, disease progressed and was again dominated by the Philadelphia chromosome-negative founding clone, demonstrating rapid clonal expansion under nilotinib-induced selection pressure. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel

Keywords:
Acute myeloid leukemia, Philadelphia chromosome, Nilotinib
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© 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel
2014
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