Rapidly progressive pancreatic lipomatosis in a young adult patient with transfusion-dependent myelodysplastic syndrome.

Pancreatic lipomatosis is defined as deposition of fat cells in pancreatic parenchyma. Although the etiology of this condition is still unclear, it is not uncommon in the elderly, obese individuals, and a variety of transfusion-dependent hematologic diseases such as beta-thalassemia major. Pancreatic lipomatosis associated with transfusion-dependent myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) has never been reported. We present a 17-year-old male patient with transfusion-dependent MDS. He received transfusion of a total of 345 units of blood in a period of 18 months but without iron chelating agent. Progressive fatty replacement of the pancreas parenchyma was found by a series of computed tomography images over seven hospital admissions due to repeated infections. Bone marrow biopsy revealed hemosiderin deposition. Because of his poor response to induction chemotherapy, stem cell transplantation was suggested, but the patient died of sepsis before the therapeutic procedure could take place. Although most patients with pancreatic lipomatosis have neither clinical symptoms nor abnormal laboratory data, it may cause endocrine and exocrine pancreas dysfunction. In this reported case, mild exocrine dysfunction was noted on the last admission. Clinicians should be cautious of hemosiderin deposition after large amount of blood transfusion and chelating therapy should be given to avoid iron overload.