[Hematological malignancies with eosinophilia]

Hematological malignancies accompanied by eosinophilia are reviewed in relation to chromosomal changes and cytokine production. Eosinophilia accompanied by hematological malignancies can be divided into two groups. In some myelogenous leukemias, including acute myelomonocytic leukemia with eosinophilia (FAB M4Eo), acute myeloblastic leukemia (FAB M2 t(8;21)) and chronic myelogenous leukemia, neoplastic cells themselves appear to differentiate into eosinophils. On the other hand, transformed tumor cells secrete some eosinophil-stimulating cytokines, including interleukin-3, interleukin-5 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and these cytokines stimulate the proliferation of normal eosinophil precursors in some lymphoid malignancies, including some types acute lymphoblastic leukemia (especially with t(5;14)) or malignant lymphoma, including Hodgkin's lymphoma and adult T cell lymphoma/leukemia.