Cutaneous and pericardial extramedullary hematopoiesis with cardiac tamponade in chronic myeloid leukemia.

A 48-year-old woman with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia developed skin and pericardial extramedullary hematopoiesis. The echocardiogram revealed massive pericardial effusion with signs of tamponade. The cytocentrifuge preparation of pericardial fluid demonstrated all three hematopoietic components. Assays for the granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells and erythroid progenitors on her pericardial fluid gave rise to colony numbers comparable to those of normal bone marrow cells. The patient was successfully treated with pericardiocentesis followed by short-term indwelling catheter drainage and administration of hydroxy-urea. There was no reaccumulation of fluid at ten months.