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Both hypocellular leukemia and Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome-positive mixed-phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL) are rare subtypes of leukemia showing unfavorable outcomes and lacking established optimal management. Ph-positive leukemia most often presents with hypercellularity and hypoplasia is a rare condition. The present study reports an extremely rare case of hypocellular biclonal Ph-positive MPAL, which was diagnosed by biopsy and genetic analysis of bone marrow, and successfully treated with dasatinib and steroids. Briefly, a 77-year-old man presented with pancytopenia and flow cytometry of bone marrow could not be evaluated due to hypocellularity. The patient was finally diagnosed with hypocellular Ph-positive MPAL by genetic analysis and immunostaining of bone marrow biopsy. Although blood cells recovered with methylprednisolone pulse administration alone for concurrent optic neuritis, hematopoietic function rapidly normalized with dasatinib administered after definitive diagnosis of Ph-positive leukemia. Dasatinib and oral prednisolone were continued following methylprednisolone pulse administration and the patient achieved molecular complete remission (CR) on day 140 of treatment; molecular CR was maintained thereafter without any severe adverse events. In conclusion, the combination of dasatinib and a steroid may be one of the tolerable treatment options for elderly patients with hypocellular biclonal Ph-positive MPAL. Furthermore, genetic analysis and immunostaining of bone marrow biopsy can help with the diagnosis of leukemia with hypocellular bone marrow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) with myelofibrosis is a rare hematological disorder that should be classified as a distinct subgroup of MDS. Treatment of MDS with myelofibrosis remains problematic and the prognosis is poor in these patients, particularly following transformation into acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The current study presents the case of a 28-year-old male diagnosed with MDS associated with myelofibrosis, together with hypocellular bone marrow features. Following induction chemotherapy consisting of mitoxantrone and cytarabine, the patient achieved complete remission, but developed severe myelofibrosis. The patient relapsed and the disease transformed into AML 12 months later. However, the extent of the myelofibrosis was markedly alleviated upon administration of a FLAG regimen that consisted of fludarabine, cytarabine and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor during the AML transformation. After one course of the FLAG regimen, the patient achieved a second complete remission. As there was no suitable donor for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), the patient relapsed and succumbed shortly after. In conclusion, MDS with fibrosis is an aggressive disease, but the degree of myelofibrosis may not be associated with the progression of hypocellular MDS, and allogeneic HSCT remains a potentially curative option for affected patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]