HEMATOLOGIC ASPECTS OF SPACE CONSUMING LESIONS OF THE BONE MARROW (MYELOPHTHISIC ANEMIA)

Abstract

The hematologic data on 10 patients with space consuming lesions of the bone marrow are presented. Following biopsy of the sternum the diagnoses were: myelosclerosis in two patients, osteosclerosis in one patient, neurofibromatosis in one patient, Gaucher''s disease in one patient, carcino-matosis in three patients, and multiple myeloma in 2 patients. The anemia was characterized by moderate severity and was of a normocytic-normochromic type. Since the abnormal tissue caused mechanical alteration of the marrow, the anemia could be designated in the etiological classification as myelophthisic or simply as disease of the blood formative tissue due to marrow replacement. Normo-blastosis and myelocytosis were observed in all the stained films of blood. The cases were reported because of their rarity and because of the difficulties encountered in making a differential diagnosis from aplastic anemia or aleukemic myelosis.