Increasing frequency of acute myeloid leukemia complicating Hodgkin's disease: a review.

Between the years 1911 and 1969, there were 16 reported cases of Hodgkin's disease terminating in acute myeloid leukemia. During the period from 1970 to 1978, the number reported was 161. Other severe complications of Hodgkin's disease (second malignancies and infections) also seem to appear with increased frequency after the introduction of modern aggressive high-energy radiation therapy and combination chemotherapy. It is thus desirable to search for alternative methods of treatment of Hodgkin's disease.