[Association of chronic myelosis and cancer]

During the period between 1948-1963 a total of 3,200 tumor patients were treated in the First and Second Medical Clinics of Tg.-Mures. In these tumor patients as well as the skin cancer patients who were treated with radiotherapy the authors found in 1.5% of the patients a leukocytosis of more than 20,000. In the last ten years (1964-1974), however, in the Second Medical Clinic only, 5% of 516 tumor patients showed a leukocytosis exceeding 20,000. In the first group of patients (3,200 cases) 0.03% showed more than 50,000 leukocytes, in the other group of 516 patients 0.2% showed more than 50,000 leukocytes. These values point towards a leukemoid reaction. A shift to the left to the myelocytes or beyond in the blood picture was found in the Second Medical Clinic in 10% of patients with carcinoma during the year of 1974. In 6% of the cases erythroblasts in the peripheral blood were seen, too. This deviation occurred often independent of the total number of leukocytes and was of a temporary nature. During the same time (1949-1974) 128 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia were treated in both departments as in-patients. 6 cases (i.e., 4.6%) had a chronic myelosis simultaneous with carcinoma, in one case together with an osteosarcoma. The diagnosis was confirmed in all cases by autopsy.