Myelodysplasia Following Treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia with Fludarabine

Abstract

Recently there has been an increased awareness of a possible link between the use of purine nucleoside analogues and myelodysplasia. We report the case of a patient who developed myelodysplasia with complex cytogenetic changes after receiving fludarabine. We review the literature, discuss the possible links between myelodysplasia and nucleoside analogues and putative mechanisms for secondary neoplasia.

Keywords:

• Purine analogues
• fludarabine
• myelodysplasia
• CLL
• cytogenetics