Two cases of acute leukemia following treatment of malignant glioma

Abstract

Two female patients, 42 and 30 years old, respectively, died of acute nonlymphocytic leukemia 43 and 38 months, respectively, after a subsequent treatment: chemotherapy for one and irradiation and chemotherapy for the other, following excision of a malignant glioma. At the time of death, both seemed to be in complete remission of their brain tumor. Both had been treated with procarbazine and nitrosoureas. The latter were responsible for severe myelosuppressive episodes and seem to have played an essential role in the induction of the leukemia. In one case, a myelodysplasia was observed before the onset of the AL and the diagnosis of refractory anemia with excess of blasts seemed warranted. Secondary acute leukemias are rare in the evolution of malignant gliomas and the usefulness of subsequent radiochemotherapy cannot be questioned at the present time. The risks involved in this therapy are minor when compared to the short‐term fatal prognosis of this type of tumor. Cancer 52:222‐226, 1983.

Myelodysplastic Syndrome Following Therapy for Brain Tumor. Two Case Reports.

“…4,26,27) Since the establishment of the FAB classification for MDS in 1982, only 11 patients with MDS after therapy for malignant brain tumor including our patients have been reported (Table 2). 1,9,11,13,[22][23][24] However, a number of neuro-oncology studies have Cited from references 2 and 3. documented cases of therapy-related AML. The patients presented with aplastic anemia, persistent anemia, prolonged thrombocytopenia, or refractory anemia.…”

Treatment-related myelodysplasia/AML in a patient with a history of breast cancer and an oligodendroglioma treated with temozolomide: Case study and review of the literature1

“…t-MDS/AML has been described following therapy of primary brain tumors with classic alkylating agents, including nitrosoureas or procarbazine, RT alone, or combined chemotherapy and RT (Genot et al, 1983;Perry et al, 1998). In a review including 28 case reports of patients with primary brain tumors who developed t-AML, 15 were adults with a median age of 30 years (range, 23-59 years), and all received a nitrosourea.…”

Therapy related acute promyelocytic leukemia

“…There are many case reports of secondary acute myeloid leukemia developing following chemo/radiotherapy to the primary brain tumours. 14,15,16,17 But brain tumours, as primary malignancy accounted for less than one per cent of all t-APL. Only one child with CNS malignancy and t-APL has been observed by Beaumont et al in their review of 106 patients, patient received radiotherapy alone for the primary tumour as in our case.…”