OUTCOME OF SECONDARY MYELOID MALIGNANCY IN HODGKINS-DISEASE - THE BNLI EXPERIENCE

In Hodgkin's disease where the majority of patients are long-term surv ivors secondary myeloid malignancies are a well-documented complicatio n. The survival of those who develop secondary myelodysplasia/acute my eloid leukaemia (MDS/AML) is historically said to be extremely poor. T his study from the BNLI database of over 4900 patients with Hodgkin's disease reports long-term follow-up of 30 patients with secondary MDS/ AML. Five patients have survived at least 5 yr (1>12 yr) from the time of diagnosis of AML, These patients were significantly younger (p=0.0 3) than those who succumbed to this complication and each also had sta ndard or favourable risk cytogenetics. The actuarial 5- and 10-yr surv ival rates are 17.4% (7.7-34.9%, 95% CI) and 8.7% (1.9-31.7%, 95% CI), respectively. There is therefore a subgroup of patients who will achi eve long-term survival despite the development of secondary myeloid ma lignancy.