SPINAL-CORD COMPRESSION IN A PATIENT WITH BLASTIC TRANSFORMATION OF CHRONIC MYELOGENOUS LEUKEMIA

A case of spinal cord compression due to epiduritis in a patient with acute transformation of chronic myelogenous leukemia is reported. A review of the literature found five similar cases. Magnetic resonance imaging was useful for the diagnosis of spinal cord compression, which was located at the thoracic spine in most patients. The mean interval between the diagnosis of chronic myelogenous leukemia and spinal cord compression was 45 months. There was a mean interval of only 37 days between the onset of neurological manifestations and death, despite emergency laminectomy. Because the patient reported here developed a cutaneous blast cell tumor at the level of the compression, the discussion includes a review of the frequency and pathogenesis of chloromas or granulocytic sarcomas, which are localized leukemic tumors occasionally seen in patients with acute or chronic myelogenous leukemia.