Chronic granulocytic leukemia (CGL) during the course of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL): correlation of blood, marrow, and spleen morphology and cytogenetics

Secondary malignant conditions occur with a greater frequency in patients with chronic lymphatic leukemia (CLL) than in the general population. Previously, 20 patients with CLL were reported as developing acute leukemia, but no cases of the development of chronic granulocytic leukemia (CGL) were observed. The authors describe patients with Ph 1 chromosome positive CGL associated with previously described CLL. One patient received total body radiation treatment for his CLL, while the second was not treated. It is apparent that previous therapy may not necessarily be a prerequisite for the development of a second malignancy in CLL. Cytogenetics offers a useful tool to confirm morphologic criteria in establishing the diagnosis of a second neoplasm.