Intestinal Behçet's disease associated with myelodysplastic syndrome with chromosomal trisomy 8--a report of two cases and a review of the literature.

Two cases of intestinal Behçet's disease, which developed in the state of myelodysplastic syndrome with trisomy 8, are presented. Both cases are included in the incomplete type of Behçet's disease, with recurrent aphthous stomatitis, skin lesions, genital ulcers or vascular involvement and punched-out ulcers in the cecum, without ocular involvement. The chromosomal analyses revealed chromosomal abnormalities, including trisomy 8, in both cases. Chromosomal trisomy 8 was shown in all 6 cases with the intestinal Behçet's disease associated with myelodysplastic syndrome reported previously, including our patients. Their histories indicated that myelodysplastic syndrome might have started before the development of intestinal Beçet's disease. Theses findings suggested that chromosomal trisomy 8 might play an important role in the pathogenesis, at least in some groups, of intestinal Behçet's disease.