The occurrence of leukemia in a patient with pulmonary asbestosis

A 77-year-old man, who had been a subway construction worker, was admitted to our hospital for surgical treatment of left cheek carcinoma and an examination for pancytopenia on November 17, 1986. Bone marrow aspiration revealed that 10% of the nucleated cells were blasts with morphological atypism. Bone marrow biopsy showed hypocellular marrow and a diffuse increase of argyrophil fibers with the presence of asbestos fibers was observed by microscope. A chest X-ray showed the findings of old tuberculosis and pulmonary asbestosis, and asbestos fibers were demonstrated in the broncho-pulmonary lavage fluid. He was diagnosed to have pulmonary asbestosis complicated with hypoplastic low percentage leukemia.