Foamy Histiocytes in a Child With Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Abstract

Here, we have reported foamy histiocytes noticed in the bone marrow aspiration (BMA) smears of a 14-year-old girl with the diagnosis of AML after she received 2 weeks of chemotherapy. We suggest that after the intensive chemotherapy, degradation products of blasts phagocytosed by the histiocytes may have been the cause in the increase in such histiocytes before regeneration of the bone marrow. After the remission was achieved, foamy histiocytes disappeared from BMA smears. These foamy histiocytes may be an idiosyncratic response to the chemotherapy in rare cases. Further studies about the accumulation of foamy histiocytes in bone marrow of leukemic patients received intensive chemotherapy may clarify this subject.

Post chemotherapy Foamy Histiocytes in Bone marrow Aspiration of Child with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

“…Foamy histiocytes are usual in a variety of disorders such as metabolic and/or lysosomal storage disorders as well as prolonged total parenteral nutrition [ 1 , 2 ]. Post-chemotherapy foamy histiocytes have been reported only twice in bone marrow aspiration (BMA) smears according to our investigation, in one case of acute myeloid leukemia and one case of metastatic adenocarcinoma of the prostate [ 3 , 4 ]. Here we report a new case of post-chemotherapy foamy histiocytes in BMA smears.…”

“…That report suggested that the foamy histiocytes were related to degradation products of blasts phagocytized by the histiocytes. This finding might also be an idiosyncratic response to the chemotherapy [ 3 ]. In conclusion, a history of intensive chemotherapy should be considered in the list of differential diagnoses of foamy histiocytes in bone marrow specimens.…”