[Neoplasms associated with chronic lymphatic leukemia. Incidence and characteristics in a series of 232 patients].

The frequency and features of associated neoplastic diseases and their impact on survival were evaluated in a series of 232 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who had been diagnosed during an 18 year period. Thirty-two patients (13.8%) had overall 38 neoplasias, 27 of which were diagnosed after CLL.

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia: when and how to treat.

In the 4th International Workshop on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL), staging and response criteria were proposed to help physicians make decisions on when and how to treat patients with CLL. The most important factor is prolonging survival. There are several promising new treatment approaches under investigation, and the criteria proposed should facilitate future therapy trials.

[Effect of treatment with recombinant interferon alfa on natural killer activity in patients with chronic type B lymphatic leukemia].

The role played by alpha interferon (alpha-IFN) in the treatment of B-type chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) has been studied by different authors. Despite the inconclusiveness of the results, alpha-IFN seems to be more effective in those patients with low tumour burden (early stages) who have been previously untreated. Although the mechanism of action of alpha-IFN is not wholly understood, it is known that this agent is a strong stimulant of the natural killer lymphocytes (NK).

[Simple refractory anemia. Response to treatment using maturative factors].

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are disorders characterized by a profound impairment of proliferation and maturation of hematopoietic cells. The prognosis is poor owing to the occurrence of severe cytopenia or to the common leukemic transformation of these conditions. At present there is no available effective treatment for patients with MDS.

[Acute T-cell lymphoproliferative syndromes. A study of 29 cases].

The clinical and hematological profile, the response to therapy and the clinical evolution of 29 patients with acute T lymphoproliferative syndromes (ATLS) diagnosed during the last 5 years were evaluated. Mean age was 22.6 (SD 9.

[Bone marrow autotransplant: preliminary results in 20 patients with acute leukemia].

The results of bone marrow autograft (BMAG) in 20 patients with acute leukemia (AL) consecutively treated from October 1985 and May 1988 are reported. The follow up was continued until November 1988. The mean age of the patients was 20 years (range 10-48) and their diagnoses were acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) in 12 and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in 8.

A new prognostic system for multiple myeloma based on easily available parameters.

The prognostic significance of different presenting features in 180 patients with multiple myeloma (MM) from a single institution was analysed. Out of eight variables isolated from the univariate analysis only two (blood urea and serum albumin), were significant in the multivariate model. Derived from these two simple variables, the relative risk of each patient was calculated, and subsequently two subpopulations of patients could be recognized.

[Erythroblastopenia associated with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia].

A patient is presented in whom the diagnoses of chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML) and erythroblastopenia were simultaneously established. Besides the conventional criteria for both haemopathies, the culture of bone-marrow precursor cells showed lack of growth of the erythroid stem cells. 6-Mercaptopurine given as therapy for CMML failed to induce any favourable changes in erythroblastopenia, which in turn improved with prednisone.

Hypertriglyceridemia in bone marrow transplant recipients: another side effect of cyclosporine A.

The incidence and duration of hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) associated with allogeneic HLA-identical bone marrow transplantation (BMT) were investigated in 38 patients with normal triglyceride levels (TG) before BMT and without any evidence of prior liver disorder. Twenty-two (58%) patients developed HTG. The median of TG peak values was 350 mg/dl (range 215-908) and the median actuarial time for HTG appearance was 7 weeks (range 1-12).

Temporal relationships between the major complications of bone marrow transplantation for leukemia.

Data from 3113 patients receiving HLA-identical sibling bone marrow transplants for leukemia were analysed to determine the time course of the major causes of treatment failure. The median interval from transplant to onset of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was 17 days, interstitial pneumonitis 63 days, and chronic GVHD 111 days. The median interval from transplant to relapse was 3.

[Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia and solid neoplasms: is it a causal or a fortuitous association?].

Out of a series of 36 patients with chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML), five cases are reported with the association of this hemopathy to solid neoplasms. In two patients this last was a cutaneous tumour, while the remainders had, respectively, papilloma of the bladder, carcinoma of the sigma, and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. These neoplasms were diagnosed in all cases prior to the discovery of CMML.

Iron stores in essential thrombocythaemia. A study of 26 patients.

The iron status of 26 patients with essential thrombocythaemia (ET) was evaluated at diagnosis by means of bone marrow iron and blood studies, including serum ferritin determination. Nine patients were males, 17 females, and the mean age was 53 years (range 7-81). A decreased or absent iron level by semiquantitative estimation on bone marrow smears was observed in 77% of patients, and 81% had a low sideroblast score.

Morphologic and morphometric light and electron microscopic studies of the spleen in patients with hereditary spherocytosis and autoimmune haemolytic anaemia.

With the aim of contributing to a better understanding of the haemolytic function of the spleen, a morphologic and morphometric study of this organ fixed by arterial perfusion was performed in nine patients with hereditary spherocytosis (HS), three with autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AHA) and six with Hodgkin's disease without splenic involvement (controls). The spleen weight in HS and AHA (621 +/- 429 g, mean +/- SD) was significantly increased with respect to controls (168 +/- 36 g) (P = 0.003).

[Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with splenic granulomatous reaction].

A 44-year old female had centrofollicular stage IV non-Hodgkin lymphoma, with splenic and bone marrow infiltration. The histological study of the spleen showed abundant nodes, some of them predominantly lymphoid and others consisting of epithelioid granulomas. With double labelling immunohistochemical techniques three types of nodes were observed: neoplastic lymphoid ones, surrounded by histiocytic cells, others also lymphoid with histiocyte infiltration, and, finally, others constituted by epithelioid granulomas.

[Primary myelofibrosis: description of a series of 53 patients].

The clinical and hematological profile of 53 patients in whom primary myelofibrosis (PMF) had been diagnosed during the last 15 years was evaluated. Median age was 64 years (range 17-86). Thirty-five patients were males and 18 females.

[Extramedullary blast crisis in chronic myeloid leukemia].

Out of 113 cases of blastic crisis (BC) of Ph'-positive chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), 13 had extramedullary involvement, this being the first BC manifestation in 5 instances. The median interval between extramedullary BC and bone marrow BC in these last was 2 months. Lymph nodes were the commonest extramedullary site of BC (8 cases), followed by osteoperiosteal and central nervous system (CNS).

Lung function in allogeneic bone marrow transplantation recipients.

In order to investigate the incidence of pulmonary function complications following bone marrow transplantation (BMT), 17 patients with leukaemia and 8 with aplastic anaemia were sequentially assessed over a one year period. Before BMT, all the patients were free of respiratory symptoms and had both normal chest X-ray and routine lung function tests. However, 5 patients disclosed airway hyperreactivity.

Risk factors for interstitial pneumonia following bone marrow transplantation for severe aplastic anaemia.

Data from 547 patients with aplastic anaemia who received bone marrow transplants from HLA-identical siblings were analysed to determine factors associated with the risk of interstitial pneumonia (IPn). IPn developed in 92 patients (17%). 37% of cases were associated with cytomegalovirus infection and 22% with other organisms; in 41% of cases no organism was identified.

[High-degree malignancy non-Hodgkin's lymphoma simulating a disseminated carcinoma. Presentation of 2 cases].

Highly malignant non-Hodgkin lymphomas (HM-NHL) may sometimes develop clinical features simulating an epithelial carcinoma with metastatic dissemination. Conventional histopathological study may be insufficient to differentiate between both conditions. Two patients with HM-NHL are reported with a rapid general deterioration; one of them had osteolysis and hypercalcemia.