A rare case of acute myeloid leukemia-M6 in a 2-year-old child with complex karyotype

Acute erythroid leukemia is a very rare entity in children. Here is a case of erythroleukemia with complex cytogenetics in a child aged 2 years. On immunophenotyping, CD45 versus side scatter (SSC) demonstrated blast population (29%) with intermediate SSC and moderate CD45 expression. The myeloid nature of blast population was confirmed by moderate expression of cytoplasmic myeloperoxidase, CD117, CD13 and CD33. Another population of cells (28%) with low to intermediate SSC and negative CD45 expression revealed dim expression of CD235a (64%) indicating lysis resistant abnormal erythroid progenitors. Conventional cytogenetic analysis by G-banding revealed complex cytogenetics.