Diffuse affection of the brain in hypereosinophilic variant of Ph '-negative, BCR-ABL-positive variant of chronic myeloid leukemia.

For 4 days before death the authors observed a 29-year-old woman who had cl inical, blood and bone marrow picture completely satisfying standard criter ia of idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome (IHES) with pronounced symptoms of diffuse affection of the brain like that described in the literature. A utopsy picture was also typical for IHES. However. molecular-genetic analys is of blood cells showed the picture of chronic myeloid leukemia (BCR-lABL) . Cytogenetically (three methods). no Ph' chromosome was found. Pathogeneti c similarity of IHES and eosinophilic variant of chronic myeloid leukemia i s discussed.