Patients with hematologic diseases such as chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) or chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL) are known to have an increased chance of acquiring a secondary neoplasm. Stomach cancer is one of the most common malignant diseases in Korea, and we investigated whether the incidence of secondary stomach cancer in patients with a hematologic disease increases, in order to determine if a more intensive screening program for detecting secondary gastric cancer was required. We also investigated the safety of performing a gastrectomy in hematologic disease patients.

From 1992 to 2006, the medical records of 8376 patients diagnosed with one of the six common hematologic diseases were reviewed.

Nine secondary stomach cancers were found among the 8376 patients during the 15-year observation period. No surgical-related complications occurred, and there was no recurrence of stomach cancer if detected early.

It seems that a more intensive screening program for detecting secondary gastric cancer in hematologic disease patients is not required, and surgery is not risky in these patients.