AUTOIMMUNE THROMBOCYTOPENIA AFTER 6 CYCLES OF FLUDARABINE PHOSPHATE IN A PATIENT WITH CHRONIC LYMPHOTIC LEUKEMIA

Fludarabine phosphate (FDR) has demonstrated a remarkable clinical act ivity in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Myelosuppression is the m ain toxicity although autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is frequently reported. The pathogenesis of AIHA is still unknown however the role of T-cell immunosuppression is suspected. One case of thrombopenia aft er FDR has been described in a patient with a previous history of an a utoimmune thrombocytopenia. We here report a 73-year-old man with a B- CLL and no previous autoimmune disorder who received six courses of fl udarabine phosphate and developed afterwards an autoimmune thrombocyto penia.