Last update:
04-Jan-2001

Arch Hellen Med, 17(4), July-August 2000, 407-410

SHORT COMMUNICATION

Coexistence of primary myelodysplastic syndrome-RARS
with T-lymphoblastic non-Hodgkin lymphoma

M. DALAMAGA, K. KARMANIOLAS, A. VLACHOPOULOU,
P. IOANNIDIS, C. CHALEVAS, T. PAPALAMBROS, A. PERAKI
1st Department of Internal Medicine, NIMTS Hospital, Athens, Greece

The development of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) secondary to treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a common phenomenon. This is a report of a case of T-lymphoblastic non-Hodgkin lymphoma presenting five years after diagnosis of de novo MDS, refractory anemia with ringed sideroblasts (RARS), an unusual finding. Absence of preceding chemotherapy and cytogenetic confirmation established the true coexistence of the two hematologic disorders. The mechanisms responsible for the appearance of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in a patient with primary MDS are diverse: the neoplastic transformation of a common progenitor, the immunodeficiency induced by MDS and the consideration that MDS could be a paraneoplastic syndrome preceding the development of lymphoproliferative disorder.

Key words: Coexistence, Myelodysplastic syndrome, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.