Acute nonlymphocytic leukemia: onset after treatment for Hodgkin's disease

This study was undertaken to examine the influence of various factors on the occurrence of acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) in a group of longterm survivors of Hodgkin's disease (HD). From 1972 to 1992, 1045 patients with HD were assessed and treated at the Department of Radiation Oncology, the Institute of Radiology, and the Department of Human Biopathology, Hematology Section, University of Rome "La Sapienza". The average follow-up was 72 months. For a more accurate calculation of the risk of ANLL occurrence, the patients were first divided into three subgroups according to initial treatment and then according to the total treatment they had received. Moreover, to establish the probable connection between leukemia and splenic treatment the patients were also divided into three subgroups (splenectomy, splenic irradiation, and no splenectomy/no splenic irradiation). Sixteen cases of ANLL were recorded, giving an overall risk of 0.2% at 5 years and 3.4% at 20 years. In 12 patients overt leukemia was preceded by a myelodys-plastic syndrome. Five cases had evaluable chromosome analysis. Clonal chromosome abnormalities were demonstrated in two patients, whereas three patients showed an apparently normal karyotype. Bone marrow agar cultures were analyzed in two patients and were abnormal in both cases. In the radiotherapy (RT) group, the cumulative risk was 0.4% at 10 years and 3.2% at 15 and 20 years: in the chemotherapy (CT) group it was 1.2% at 10, 15, and 20 years; in the combined group it was 3.7% at 10 years and 4.9% at 15 and 20 years. In the multivariate analysis, MOPP treatment with or without RT is a statistically significant variable for ANLL occurrence (p = 0.009). This study demonstrates that splenic treatment does not lead to ANLL. Treatment with MOPP alone and with MOPP plus RT can increase the risk of ANLL.