Preleukemic syndrome in elderly patients--report of 11 cases

The preleukemic syndrome occurs mainly after middle age. We report 11 patients, aged 62 to 92 years, who presented with weakness, fatigue, malaise and pallor. Eight patients died; survival from the time of diagnosis was between 2 and 21 months. Two of them developed acute myelomonocytic leukemia. A third patient developed Philadelphia chromosome-negative chronic myeloid leukemia within 9 months. Serum unsaturated B12 binding capacity and transcobalamin I were elevated in this patient, preceding the transformation to chronic myeloid leukemia. Five other patients died from sepsis or pneumonia. All patients were anemic, and 10 were leukopenic. Bone marrow was hypocellular in 1 and hypercellular in 10 cases. Chromosomal studies were performed in five patients, with three showing abnormal findings: 47xx, trisomy 8 and a tetraploid karyotype 92xxyy5q-. No cytotoxic treatment should be given during the preleukemic phase until transformation to acute leukemia occurs. Since preleukemic patients are very susceptible to infections, early diagnosis of the condition is important, as is supportive care in the case of surgery.