Cutaneous manifestations of haematological malignancies, although well recognized in acute monoblastic leukaemia and lymphoma, are relatively uncommon in primary myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), which is a group of heterogeneous disorders formerly known as pre-leukaemia. Previously reported cases of skin involvement in this syndrome have been confined to a sub-type of MDS, namely chronic myelomo...

De novo and therapy related leukaemias; acute non lymphocytic leukaemia (ANLL) and acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL) grossly represent half cases each; myelodysplasia (MDS) in the remaining 5%; biphenotypic leukaemia at times (likely to be more frequent with more investigations); 11q23 rearrangements in treatment related leukaemias (5-10% of 11q23 cases) are found mainly following a treatment w...

Haematological disorders are getting more and more molecularly defined. This is specially so in the field of haematological malignancies. The molecular understanding has helped in fine-tuning the diagnosis, prognosis and management. The tests are becoming widely available and they enjoy both sensitivity and specificity. Following is an overview of clinical applications of molecular haematology,...

Hairy-cell leukaemia is a rather uncommon chronic malignant lymphoproliferative disorder accounting for about 2% of all adult leukaemia cases [1]. This clonal B-cell proliferation [2] is characterized by a cellular infiltration of both bone marrow and spleen by large differentiated B cells, often exhibiting hair-like protrusions (hairy cells). We report here the first case of hairy-cell leukaem...

Granulocytic sarcoma is a rare complication of leukaemia. Occasionally it presents before the development of systemic leukaemia when diagnosis may be difficult. A case of granulocytic sarcoma occurring in a patient with no overt evidence of leukaemia, but in whom cytogenetic analysis of the bone marrow showed a clonal t(12;13) translocation, is reported. Cytogenetic analysis of tissues in this ...

Purpose: To describe three patients with secondary leukemia after treatment with I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) for neuroblastoma. Methods: Of 95 children with refractory neuroblastoma treated with I-MIBG at UCSF, 3 have been identified with secondary myelodysplasia/leukemia. The case records and bone marrow results were reviewed, along with a review of the literature. Results: Three patients...

Acute leukaemia may rarely present as diffuse papules, nodules and plaques forming leonine facies. Leukaemia cutis generally carries a poor prognosis, and responds less well to chemotherapy. We described a case of acute myelomonocytic leukaemia presenting as leonine facies as a result of extensive cutaneous infiltration. The patient did not achieve haematological remission following standard in...

A recent study indicated an excess risk of leukaemia among children under the age of 5 years living in the vicinity of nuclear power plants in Germany. We present results relating to the incidence of childhood leukaemia in the vicinity of nuclear power plants in France for the same age range. These results do not indicate an excess risk of leukaemia in young children living near French nuclear ...

Chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia is an atypical myeloproliferative disorder with a natural history of progression to acute myeloid leukaemia, a complex and poorly understood response by the bone marrow to stress. Cardiac surgery activates many inflammatory cascades and may precipitate a systemic inflammatory response syndrome. We present a case of undiagnosed chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia wh...

The relationship between the standardised registration ratio (SRR) for monocytic leukaemia and the radon concentration by county in England was investigated. Leukaemia data were obtained from the OPCS and cover the age range 0-74 years and the period 1975-86. Radon concentrations were obtained from a recent National Radiological Protection Board report. A significant correlation was observed be...