Essential thrombocythaemia followed by multiple myeloma in the same patient.

We describe a patient with essential thrombocythaemia who developed multiple myeloma 7 years after an initial diagnosis of essential thrombocythaemia. A 50-year-old white female presented in 1987 with a 2 year history of low backache, painful swollen ankles and burning feet. Her laboratory investigations suggested a diagnosis of essential thrombocythaemia. Initially she was treated with busulphan without much benefit for 6 months. Subsequently she was treated with hydroxyurea with significant relief of her symptoms and reduction in her platelet count. Seven years after her initial presentation she developed bone pains and anaemia with laboratory investigations confirming a diagnosis of multiple myeloma.