Therapy-related myeloid neoplasms in lymphoma survivors: Reducing risks

Treatment for Hodgkin (HL) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) has changed dramatically in the last fifty years. While there are increasing numbers of long-term survivors, there has been increasing recognition of the long-term toxicities of treatments, particularly therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia (t-MDS/AML). The survival for t-MDS/AML is extremely poor. Multiple heterogeneous retrospective studies have reported risk factors for the development of t-MDS/AML. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy have been most closely examined as possible t-MDS/AML risk factors. In this paper, we will review the risks of t-MDS/AML for HL and NHL patients as reported in the literature and assess for any changes over time. In HL patients, the incidence of t-MDS/AML has decreased with a reduction in alkylating agents. In indolent NHL patients, we anticipate decreased incidence of t-MDS/AML as targeted therapies begin to replace cytotoxic chemotherapy.