B-type lymphocytic leukaemia developing seven years after chemoradiotherapy for hodgkin's disease: Report of a case and review of the literature

This report describes the development of B-cell lymphocytic, leukemia, probably a leukaemic phase of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, in a patient with Hodgkin's disease (HD) who was successfully treated and cured with MOPP combination chemotherapy and mantle radiotherapy. The leukaemia occurred seven years after the completion of chemoradiotherapy, and manifested as peripheral blood and bone-marrow involvement alone without any initial evidence of lymphadenopathy, organomegaly or extranodal disease at the time of diagnosis. The occurrence of B-lymphocytic leukaemia in a cured patient with HD is rare, and the association of these two disorders is reviewed and discussed in the light of current knowledge.