Trisomy 12 in a case of multiple cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in association with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Abstract

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), which shares clinical and morphological overlap with small lymphocytic lyjmphoma (SLL), is a low-grade clonal B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder that accounts for 25% of all cases of leukaemia in Western countries, while it is considered rare in Oriental patients and is thought to constitute only 2% of all leukemias in these patients.[1] CLL is associated with an increased incidence of secondary malignant neoplasms, such as brain tumors, melanomas, and gastrointestinal-tract carcinomas[2]. However, the simulataneous occurrence of CLL and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is rarely reported. We present here a case of CLL with multiple SCC on the face. Subsequent studies demonstrated the patient to have a trisomy 12 identified in bone marrow specimen.