Tetrasomy 8 as a primary chromosomal abnormality in a child with acute megakaryoblastic leukemia. a case report and review of the literature.
Tetrasomy 8 is a relatively rare chromosomal abnormality in hematological disorders, and is mostly associated with myeloid malignancies and poor prognosis. In a number of cases, tetrasomy 8 has been reported as an accompanying anomaly with other chromosomal changes. In this report, we describe a 14-year-old girl with acute megakaryoblastic leukemia associated with tetrasomy 8 (primary) and trisomy 6, 19 and 20. She died 6 months after diagnosis, suggesting a relatively poor prognosis for AML with tetrasomy 8. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a tetrasomy 8 abnormality associated with subtype FAB M7. Interestingly, this abnormality has not been previously reported in childhood AML patients.