Secondary myelodysplastic syndrome after small cell lung cancer and esophageal cancer.

A 50-year-old man was referred to our department with esophageal cancer. He had past history of small cell lung cancer treated with chemoradiation therapy 10 years prior. The disease was evaluated as complete remission after chemoradiation therapy and no recurrence had been observed. Esophagectomy accompanying postoperative chemotherapy was applied, but he died of secondary myelodysplastic syndrome with its acute myeloblastic transformation. Risk evaluation revealed a high incidence of esophageal cancer after radiation therapy and hematological malignancies after chemoradiation therapy in usual regimen with topoisomerase inhibitor or alkylating agents. Chemoradiation therapy is thought to be one of a few highly effective therapeutic alternatives and many complete remission cases have been reported in small cell lung cancer or esophageal cancer. In post-therapeutic follow up of patients with such past therapeutic histories, we should be cautious about secondary malignancies even if primary malignant disease was evaluated as complete remission in long past history. Copyright 2005 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.