Decreased stainable marrow iron in chronic granulocytic leukemia

Stainable iron was absent or decreased in 36 of 45 bone marrow biopsy specimens (80 percent) among 33 patients with chronic-stage chronic granulocytic leukemia. Decreased iron did not correlate with sex, treatment status, duration of disease, marrow cellularity, or hemoglobin level. In contrast, marrow iron was absent or decreased in 34 percent of biopsy specimens at diagnosis of acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (p less than 0.0001) and 31 percent of biopsy specimens from patients with Hodgkin's disease (p less than 0.0001). The serum ferritin level was determined in eight patients with chronic granulocytic leukemia and absent marrow iron, and it was normal in all. Fifteen of 17 patients, followed with chronic-stage disease for one to four years after the finding of absent marrow iron, demonstrated increases in their hemoglobin levels during antileukemic therapy or maintained normal values. Thus, absent or decreased stainable marrow iron is a common finding in chronic granulocytic leukemia and usually does not indicate iron deficiency.