mercaptopurine and Thalassemia

A greek boy is described in whom pulmonary tuberculosis and homozygous beta-thalassemia was discovered at 4 years of age. Tuberculosis was cured after 1 year of combined tuberculostatic chemotherapy. His thalassemia only required 1-2 blood transfusions per year. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia was diagnosed in the patient at 8 years of age and treated with antileukemic combination chemotherapy and cranial irradiation. 7 months after diagnosis the boy is still in continuous complete remission under antileukemic chemotherapy without requiring blood transfusions.

Topics: Blood Transfusion; Child; Cyclophosphamide; Drug Therapy, Combination; Germany, West; Greece; Humans; Leukemia, Lymphoid; Male; Mercaptopurine; Methotrexate; Prednisone; Remission, Spontaneous; Skull; Thalassemia; Time Factors; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary; Vincristine

Topics: Blood Protein Disorders; Blood Protein Electrophoresis; Blood Transfusion; Bone Marrow; Bone Marrow Cells; Bone Marrow Examination; Chromosome Aberrations; Chromosomes, Human, 1-3; Chromosomes, Human, 6-12 and X; Female; Fluorescent Antibody Technique; Humans; Immunodiffusion; Immunoelectrophoresis; Immunoglobulin G; Karyotyping; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute; Mercaptopurine; Middle Aged; Mosaicism; Plasma Cells; Prednisolone; Thalassemia

Topics: Anemia, Sickle Cell; Eosinophilia; Erythrocytes; Humans; Kwashiorkor; Leukemia; Leukemia, Lymphoid; Leukocytes; Mercaptopurine; Methotrexate; Oxidation-Reduction; Polycythemia Vera; Prednisolone; Purpura; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic; Reticulocytes; Thalassemia