Erythroleukemia Manifesting δβ-Thalassemia

A 27 year old male with aplastic anemia developed a high fetal hemoglobin, a low hemoglobin A2, a decreased beta/alpha synthetic ratio, and an increased G gamma/A gamma synthetic ratio. This acquired hemoglobinopathy resembling delta beta-thalassemia was recognized at the onset of acute erythroleukemia. Certain features of this abnormal globin synthetic pattern resemble those of the normal fetus and thus appear to provide another example of gene expression by malignant cells resembling that of an earlier stage of the organism's development.