OLIGOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA WITH (8-21) TRANSLOCATION AND HEMOPHAGOCYTIC SYNDROME AND GRANULOCYTIC CANNIBALISM

We report a 47-year-old man with oligoblastic leukaemia (8;21) translo cation, phenomenon of cannibalism by granulocytic cells and haemophago cytic syndrome. The patient responded to intensive chemotherapy with d isappearance of haemophagocytosis, granulocytic and histiocytic. We co nclude that: (1) granulocytic cannibalism and haemophagocytic syndrome can be unusual myelodysplastic features; (2) the oligoblastic leukaem ia with presence of cytogenetic abnormalities related to AML in young patients are probably more close to acute leukaemia than to myelodyspl astic syndrome. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.