© 2011 Hellenic Society of Gastroenterology www.annalsgastro.gr Chronic myelogenous leukemia in ulcerative colitis

Patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease are known to be at an increased risk of colorectal and liver cancers and of leukemia. In fact, several forms of primary and secondary hematological malignancies were rarely observed during the clinical course of inflammatory bowel diseases. The causal relationship, if any, remains undetermined. Patients needing a prolonged treatment with immu no sup-pres sants, such as azathioprine or methotrexate, and with afamilial and genetic predisposition seem to be at a higher risk of leukemia. Although data so far available is not conclusive it seems that patients with ulcerative colitis have a higher risk for leukemia, particularly acute myelocytic leukemia, compared to Crohn’s disease patients [1]. Chronic myelogenous leukemia is a myeloproliferative neoplasm arising at the level of a pluripotent stem cel