Clonal hematologic disorders in Down syndrome. A review.

PURPOSE

Children with Down syndrome (DS) carry an elevated risk of developing clonal hematologic disorders. In this review, we summarize reported data describing the incidence of leukemia in children with DS and associated leukemic cell phenotypic and functional features.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Major leukemic subtypes, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia (ANLL), myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and transient abnormal myelopoiesis (TAM) are evaluated in the context of patient age and treatment responsiveness.

RESULTS

It is apparent that although leukemia in children with DS is a relatively frequent event, prognosis with current conventional therapeutic strategies is excellent.

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment options for TAM, a monoclonal cellular proliferation in neonates, are discussed.