The incidence of leukemia and related diseases in patients with rheumatoid (ankylosing) spondylitis treated with X‐ray therapy

Abstract

In a series of 496 rheumatoid spondylitis patients treated with x-ray, the authors have reported an incidence of leukemia over 17 times greater than expected in a comparable population. No conclusion can be drawn with respect to the exact nature of dose-response relationship in leukemogenesis. Four of the reported leukemias arose from myeloid reticular elements of the bone marrow; the fifth case is of undetermined origin. Since the chief use of x-ray therapy under these circumstances is as an analgesic, it would seem unwise to compound the risk of developing leukemia in these patients by its continued use unless all other forms of symptomatic treatment have failed and the patient and the physician mutually accept the possibility of this increased hazard.Super le base de 496 patientes tractate con radios X pro spondylitis rheumatoide, le autores reporta un incidentia de leucemia plus que 17 vices plus alte que ill0 expectate in un comparabile population de controlo. Nulle conclusion pote esser derivate con respecto a1 exacte natura del relation de dosage a responsa in le leucemiogenese. In quatro del reportate casos, le leucemia habeva su origine in elementos reticular myeloide del medulla ossee; in le quinte, le origine es indeterminate. Viste que le us0 principal del radiotherapia sub iste conditiones es ill0 de un analgesico, il pare pauco sage currer le risco del disveloppamento de leucemia in le patientes rheumatoide per le continue us0 de radiotherapia, excepte quando omne altere forma de tractamento symptomatic se ha provate van e quando tante le medico como etiam le patiente es conscie del hasardo inherente e accepta lo.

The early history of antirheumatic drugs

“…Between 1955 and 1960, additional reports came from Holland, England, Canada, and the United States. All of them confirmed the increased incidence of leukemia, particularly of the myelogenous type in patients who had received x-ray therapy for ankylosing spondylitis (105) .…”