[Acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia as a secondary malignancy--demonstration of 15 patients]

Among 90,128 patients with malignancies in the years 1976-1989 acute non lymphoblastic leukaemia (ANLL) was diagnosed in 351 patients (0.4%) and in 15 (4.3%) of them ANLL was secondary neoplasm. Secondary ANLL occurred in 10% of all the 148 secondary malignancies observed at that period of time and constituted 6.7% of secondary malignancy in patients with solid tumours and 43% in patients with myeloproliferative syndromes as a first malignant neoplasm. In the treatment of first malignancy radiotherapy was applied in 11 persons, in combination with chemotherapy in 7 of them and chemotherapy alone was given to 4 patients. The appearance of the secondary ANLL was usually preceded by the myelodysplastic syndrome. Morphologically, secondary ANLL belonged mostly to M6 and M4 (8 patients) according to FAB classification. The course of ANLL was fulminant and the disease was completely resistant to the treatment.