Published online Dec 26, 2020. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v8.i24.6337
Peer-review started: August 18, 2020
First decision: September 13, 2020
Revised: October 2, 2020
Accepted: October 26, 2020
Article in press: October 26, 2020
Published online: December 26, 2020
Processing time: 123 Days and 7.9 Hours
Chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL) is a rare bone marrow proliferative tumor and a heterogeneous disorder. In 2016, the World Health Organization included activating mutations in the CSF3R gene as one of the diagnostic criteria, with CSF3R T618I being the most common mutation. The disease is often accompanied by splenomegaly, but no developmental abnormalities and significant reticular fibrosis, and no Ph chromosome and BCR-ABL fusion gene. So, it is difficult to diagnose at the first presentation in the absence of classical symptoms. Herein we describe a rare CNL patient without splenomegaly whose initial diagnostic clue was neutrophilic hyperactivity.
The patient is an 80-year-old Han Chinese man who presented with one month of fatigue and fatigue aggravation in the last half of the month. He had no splenomegaly, but had persistent hypofibrinogenemia, obvious skin bleeding, and hemoptysis, and required repeated infusion of fibrinogen therapy. After many relevant laboratory examinations, histopathological examination, and sequencing analysis, the patient was finally diagnosed with CNL [CSF3R T618I positive: c.1853C>T (p.T618I) and c.2514T>A (p.C838)].
The physical examination and blood test for tumor-related genes are insufficient to establish a diagnosis of CNL. Splenomegaly is not that important, but hyperplasia of interstitial neutrophil system and activating mutations in CSF3R are important clues to CNL diagnosis.
Core Tip: An 80-year-old man had a long history of interstitial pneumonia. His leukocyte levels were extremely high, while the fibrinogen and prothrombin activities were low. His urea, uric acid, and creatinine values were high, and there were reticulated fibers around the blood vessels, and bone marrow fibrosis was obvious. His granulocyte system was extremely hyperplastic. Importantly, our gene mutation test found that the CSF3R gene was mutated. Therefore, we eventually diagnosed his symptoms as chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL). The particularity of the case lies in that CNL is often accompanied by splenomegaly, but the patient had no splenomegaly.