title: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia associated with myelodysplastic syndrome with ring sideroblasts.
abstract: Diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndrome/acute myeloid leukemia (MDS/AML) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in the same patient is extremely rare. We describe a 69-year-old CLL patient who developed MDS with ring sideroblasts 1 year after diagnosis of CLL and without any previous treatment. Diagnosis was based on flow cytometry, bone marrow aspirate morphology, and iron stain. Our findings indicate that the 2 disorders belong to 2 different hematopoietic clones in this patient. In cases of worsening anemia in CLL patients, it is recommended that an iron stain be performed on bone marrow aspirates to exclude a coexistent malignancy such as refractory anemia with ring sideroblasts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Khalil M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Charafeddine
authors.forename: Georges Y
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.forename: Rami A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Mahfouz
authors.forename: Ghazi S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Zaatari
authors.forename: Ziad M
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Salem
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000756:Anemia, Sideroblastic / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D004900:Erythroblasts / Q000473:pathology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D009190:Myelodysplastic Syndromes / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis