mercaptopurine and Pancytopenia

6-Thioguanine (TG) was recently studied to determine whether TG in maintenance therapy achieves better event free survival than 6-mercaptopurine (MP) for standard risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) on the clinical trial, CCG-1952 (5/1996-1/2000). Veno-occlusive disease was previously recognized as a complication of TG on CCG-1952. We report a newly recognized pediatric complication of TG: splenomegaly and portal hypertension (PH) developing during maintenance or after completion of therapy.. Twelve patients (3-10 years) had been randomized to receive a targeted dose of 50 mg/m(2)/day of TG during maintenance phases. Actual TG dose ranged from 25 to 77 mg/m(2)/day (median 34 mg/m(2)/day).. The initial patient, a boy who had marked thrombocytopenia and intermittent splenomegaly during maintenance therapy, was evaluated for persistent pancytopenia and progressive splenomegaly 3 months after completion of therapy. Dilated splenic vein and collaterals consistent with PH were documented by MRI/MRA. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy found esophageal varices. Liver biopsy showed periportal fibrosis and marked dilatation of veins and venules. Of the other 12 patients, 9 patients studied had abnormal MRI/MRAs with evidence of varices in 4. Eight patients had splenomegaly on physical examination. Liver biopsies in a girl after 3.3 courses of TG and a boy after 4.6 courses of TG showed periportal fibrosis and dilatation of venules and sinusoids and minimal focal fatty changes. Subsequent MRI/MRAs have been stable or improved.. The evaluations of these 12 patients suggest that treatment with TG causes injury to the liver leading to PH and that thrombocytopenia and splenomegaly are clinical hallmarks of this toxicity.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; Child; Child, Preschool; Esophageal and Gastric Varices; Female; Humans; Hypertension, Portal; Magnetic Resonance Angiography; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Mercaptopurine; Pancytopenia; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Splenomegaly; Thioguanine; Thrombocytopenia

Topics: Abnormal Karyotype; Antigens, Neoplasm; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Asparaginase; Biomarkers, Tumor; Biopsy; Cyclophosphamide; Disease Progression; DNA Nucleotidylexotransferase; Doxorubicin; Fatal Outcome; Female; Humans; Lymphoma, Follicular; Mercaptopurine; Methotrexate; Middle Aged; Pancytopenia; Precursor B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Prednisone; Recurrence; Rituximab; Salvage Therapy; Splenic Rupture; Splenomegaly; Stomach; Vincristine

Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; Antiviral Agents; Austria; Child; COVID-19; COVID-19 Drug Treatment; Female; Humans; Mercaptopurine; Methotrexate; Pancytopenia; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; SARS-CoV-2; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND Pancytopenia is a hematological condition which is characterized by decreases in all three cellular elements: RBC, WBC, and platelets. As a result, patients with pancytopenia are more prone to anemia, infections, and excessive bleeding. Pancytopenia can be caused by medications or drug interactions that suppress the bone marrow. This case report highlights a drug interaction between allopurinol and mercaptopurine which led to pancytopenia and septic infection, resulting in the patient's death. This could easily have been avoided if a clinical pharmacist had been consulted. CASE REPORT A 55-year-old female patient with a past medical history of gout, depression, back pain, and type 2 diabetes was recently diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and was discharged with a new prescription of mercaptopurine. After 2 months of concurrent use of allopurinol and mercaptopurine, she developed infected foot ulcers, which progressed rabidly to sepsis. At the time, her laboratory findings confirmed pancytopenia. Despite treatment, the patient died. CONCLUSIONS This case illustrates the importance of consulting a clinical pharmacist in order to avoid such medical error. The dose of mercaptopurine should be reduced to 25% of the recommended dose when it is given concurrently with allopurinol to reduce the risk of pancytopenia. Health care providers should think about the significant role of clinical pharmacy services. In our case, there were no clinical pharmacist involved in the care of this patient, and as a result of such negligence, the patient lost her life.

Topics: Allopurinol; Colitis, Ulcerative; Diabetic Foot; Drug Interactions; Fatal Outcome; Female; Gout; Gout Suppressants; Humans; Immunosuppressive Agents; Mercaptopurine; Middle Aged; Pancytopenia; Pharmacists; Pharmacy Service, Hospital; Referral and Consultation; Sepsis

Thiopurine drugs, such as thioguanine, mercaptopurine and azathioprine, are used for treating inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis. One must be aware of the serious side effects these drugs can have (e.g. bone marrow depression). A 56-year-old man with ulcerative colitis was treated with mercaptopurine. He developed leukopenia as a result. Thioguanine was started ten months later, resulting in life-threatening pancytopenia. Thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) genotyping proved that the patient was a poor metaboliser of thioguanine (TPMT3A*/3A*). Dose reduction is recommended for patients with reduced or absent TPMT activity. This life-threatening side effect could have been prevented by taking a number of relatively simple precautions.

Topics: Colitis, Ulcerative; Humans; Leukopenia; Male; Mercaptopurine; Middle Aged; Pancytopenia; Thioguanine

We report the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in an unusually fulminant presentation of measles, presenting as severe necrotizing bronchiolitis with secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) in the absence of classical clinical features in an immunocompromised host on maintenance chemotherapy. Our patient had presented with features of a viral pneumonitis without the classical exanthem, in combination with HLH. Although rhinovirus-induced HLH was highly unusual, the positive rhinovirus swab result had distracted us from the eventual diagnosis. This calls for greater impetus to increase awareness and public education to improve vaccination rates and herd immunity to curb outbreaks and protect the immunocompromised patients.

Topics: Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Anti-Infective Agents; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia; Diagnostic Errors; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation; Fatal Outcome; Humans; Lymphohistiocytosis, Hemophagocytic; Maintenance Chemotherapy; Male; Measles; Mercaptopurine; Methotrexate; Multiple Organ Failure; Pancytopenia; Picornaviridae Infections; Plasma Exchange; Pneumonia, Viral; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Rhinovirus; Sepsis; Survivors

The possibility of developing idiopathic portal hypertension has been described with thiopurine treatment despite compromises the prognosis of these patients, the fact its true prevalence is unknown.. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a cohort of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients followed at our unit, to determine the prevalence of diagnosis of idiopathic portal hypertension (IPH) and its relationship with thiopurine treatment.. At the time of the analysis, 927/1,419 patients were under treatment with thiopurine drugs (65%). A total of 4 patients with IBD type Crohn's disease with idiopathic portal hypertension probably related to the thiopurine treatment were identified (incidence of 4.3 cases per 1,000). Seventy-five percent of patients started with signs or symptoms of portal hypertension. Only one patient was asymptomatic but the diagnosis of IPH because of isolated thrombocytopenia is suspected. However, note that all patients had thrombocytopenia previously. Abdominal ultrasound with fibroscan, hepatic vein catheterization and liver biopsy were performed on all of them as part of the etiology of portal hypertension. In the abdominal ultrasound, indirect portal hypertension data were observed in all patients (as splenomegaly) cirrhosis was also ruled out. The fibroscan data showed significant liver fibrosis (F2-F3).. Idiopathic portal hypertension following thiopurine treatment in IBD patients is a rare occurrence, but it must be borne in mind in the differential diagnosis for early diagnosis, especially in patients undergoing thiopurine treatment over a long period. The presence of thrombocytopenia is often the only predictor of its development in the preclinical stage.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Azathioprine; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Hypertension, Portal; Idiopathic Noncirrhotic Portal Hypertension; Immunosuppressive Agents; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Liver Cirrhosis; Male; Mercaptopurine; Middle Aged; Pancytopenia; Splenomegaly; Treatment Outcome

Topics: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Bone Marrow; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 6; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 9; Combined Modality Therapy; Cranial Irradiation; Cytarabine; Daunorubicin; Erythropoiesis; Etoposide; Female; Humans; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute; Maintenance Chemotherapy; Mercaptopurine; Methotrexate; Middle Aged; Neoplasms, Second Primary; Oncogene Proteins, Fusion; Pancytopenia; Precursor B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Translocation, Genetic; Vincristine

Topics: Adolescent; Alopecia; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Bone Marrow; Crohn Disease; Drug Hypersensitivity; Female; Humans; Immunosuppression Therapy; Immunosuppressive Agents; Mercaptopurine; Mesalamine; Methyltransferases; Pancytopenia; Phenotype; Purine-Pyrimidine Metabolism, Inborn Errors

In a 23-year-old female with colonic Crohn's disease 6-mercaptopurine 100 mg daily (1.7 mg/kg) was added to mesalamine and prednisolone therapy because of ongoing disease activity. One month later she had fever and a pancytopenia. 6-methylmercaptopurine ribonucleotides levels were extremely elevated (57,000 pmol/8x10(8) red blood cells) and 6-thioguanine nucleotides levels were subtherapeutically (126 pmol/8x10(8) red blood cells). Genotyping showed a wildtype thiopurine S-methyltransferase TPMT(H/H) (*1/*1) genotype and a wildtype inosine triphosphate pyrophosphatase gene. TPMT and inosine triphosphate pyrophosphatase activity were normal. The pancytopenia recovered spontaneously within a few weeks, parallel with decreasing 6-methylmercaptopurine ribonucleotides levels after interrupting 6-mercaptopurine treatment. Epstein-Barrvirus, Cytomegalovirus and Herpesvirus infections were excluded by serology. This is the first report of pancytopenia due to extremely high 6-methylmercaptopurine ribonucleotides levels. No relation was found with the genotype of TPMT and inosine triphosphate pyrophosphatase enzymes, which play key roles in the thiopurine metabolic pathway. Apparently, 6-methylmercaptopurine ribonucleotides metabolites can cause pancytopenia, as was already known for 6-thioguanine nucleotides.

Topics: Adult; Crohn Disease; Female; Humans; Mercaptopurine; Methyltransferases; Pancytopenia; Thioinosine; Thionucleotides

Arsenic trioxide (As2O3) therapy at a daily dose of 0.15 mg/kg was given to a 60-yr-old Japanese male with refractory acute promyelocytic leukemia. White blood cell (WBC) of 6.6 x 10(3)/microl increased to 134 x 10(3)/microl following the administration of As2O3. Daily hydroxyurea (HU), and 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) were added on days 7 and 19, respectively. Both HU and 6-MP were discontinued on day 28, when WBC declined to 54.0 x 10(3)/microl. He developed unexplained fever and profound cytopenia requiring multiple blood products transfusions. Bone marrow examination on day 42 revealed massive necrosis. Pharmacokinetics confirmed a mean maximum plasma arsenic concentration (Cpmax) and a half-life time (t1/2) of 6.9 microm and 3.2 h, respectively, in the therapeutic range. This is the first case of bone marrow necrosis after standard-dose As2O3 therapy.

Topics: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Arsenic Trioxide; Arsenicals; Bone Marrow; Bone Marrow Diseases; Fever; Humans; Hydroxyurea; Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute; Male; Mercaptopurine; Middle Aged; Necrosis; Oxides; Pancytopenia; Remission Induction

Topics: Adolescent; Azathioprine; Child, Preschool; Crohn Disease; Female; Genotype; Humans; Immunosuppressive Agents; Male; Mercaptopurine; Methyltransferases; Pancytopenia

Azathioprine, a cytostatic and immunosuppressive drug in use for some 30 years, can give rise to life-threatening neutropenia and thrombocytopenia. This may be caused by unexpectedly high concentrations of cytotoxic metabolites due to abnormally slow inactivation of 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) by thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT) and/or xanthine oxidase. Low TPMT activity may be due to genetic polymorphism or interaction with drugs such as salicylic acid derivatives, while xanthine oxidase may be inhibited by allopurinol. High TPMT activity, on the other hand, may hamper cytostatic treatment. Safer and more effective treatment with azathioprine and its metabolite 6-MP becomes possible with new laboratory methods for pharmacotherapy monitoring.

Topics: Aged; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; Azathioprine; Bone Marrow Cells; Female; Genotype; Hematologic Diseases; Humans; Immunosuppressive Agents; Mercaptopurine; Methyltransferases; Neutropenia; Pancytopenia; Risk Factors

(1) Allopurinol increases the haematological toxicity of azathioprine and mercaptopurine, with a risk of pancytopenia. (2) Combination of allopurinol with azathioprine or mercaptopurine should be avoided.

Topics: Allopurinol; Antimetabolites; Contraindications; Drug Interactions; Humans; Mercaptopurine; Pancytopenia; Treatment Outcome

Topics: Adult; Azathioprine; Erythrocytes; Female; Glomerulonephritis, IGA; Homozygote; Humans; Kidney Transplantation; Male; Mercaptopurine; Methyltransferases; Pancytopenia; Pedigree; Thioguanine

A 54-year-old man was admitted with pneumonia and pancytopenia (WBC 400/microliters, RBC 297 x 10(4)/microliters, Hb 10.1g/dl, Plt 5.6 x 10(4)/microliter). Bone marrow aspiration revealed a proliferation of leukemic cells (61.6%) and led the diagnosis of AML (M2). Although no antileukemic agent had been administered previously, the combination therapy of antimicrobials and rhG-CSF for the infection not only improved pneumonia, but also induced a complete remission of AML. The short-term remission was followed by the first relapse of AML, in spite of the continuous administration of rhG-CSF. The abnormal karyotype (47, XY, +8) shown in the chromosomal analysis of the bone marrow cells at admission remained on the first remission. The second complete remission was induced by combination chemotherapy (BHAC-DMP), and the chromosomal analysis at this time showed a normal karyotype. These findings suggested that the first remission of AML in this case was caused mainly by the maturation induction effect of rhG-CSF on the leukemic cells, however, the possibility of the spontaneous remission in this case also remained.

Topics: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Cytarabine; Daunorubicin; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor; Humans; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute; Male; Mercaptopurine; Middle Aged; Pancytopenia; Pneumonia; Prednisolone; Recombinant Proteins; Remission Induction

Chlorambucil is useful in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) refractory to other agents but there is concern about the risk of haematological malignancy with this agent. A retrospective survey was performed to assess the incidence of all types of malignancy in 39 patients treated with chlorambucil (mean daily dose 4.25 mg, mean duration of treatment 25 months). These patients were compared with 30 patients with RA who received contemporaneously, the purine analogues azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine (mean dose 100 mg, mean duration of treatment 24 months). Eight patients treated with chlorambucil and one patient receiving purine analogues developed cutaneous malignancy (p = 0.03). In the chlorambucil-treated patients these were mostly multiple and recurrent. Three patients treated with chlorambucil developed myeloid leukaemia or a preleukaemic state, whilst no patient treated with purine analogues developed this complication. The use of chlorambucil in RA is associated with an increased risk of cutaneous as well as haematological oncogenesis.

Topics: Acute Disease; Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Azathioprine; Carcinogens; Chlorambucil; Humans; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute; Mercaptopurine; Pancytopenia; Time Factors

Three cases of secondary leukemia developing after chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy for myeloma, mycosis fungoides, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma are reported. The first case was a 51-year-old man with IgG-lambda myeloma, treated with melphalan and prednisolone, who developed acute myelomonocytic leukemia 54 months after the diagnosis of myeloma. The second case was a 54-year-old woman with mycosis fungoides treated with radiation, predonine, and cyclophosphamide, who developed acute megakaryoblastic leukemia 298 months after the diagnosis of mycosis fungoides. The third case was a 35-year-old woman with stage IV non-Hodgkin's lymphoma treated with VEMP who developed acute myelogenous leukemia 26 months after the diagnosis of malignant lymphoma. All cases showed pancytopenia and two of three cases had morphologic abnormality in several hemopoietic cell lineages in the leukemic stage. There is a possibility that second malignancies are an increasingly recognized complication in the patients treated with a large amount of chemo-radiotherapy.

Topics: Adult; Antineoplastic Agents; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Cyclophosphamide; Female; Humans; Leukemia; Leukemia, Megakaryoblastic, Acute; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute; Leukemia, Radiation-Induced; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin; Male; Melphalan; Mercaptopurine; Middle Aged; Multiple Myeloma; Mycosis Fungoides; Pancytopenia; Prednisolone; Vincristine