ACUTE MYELOID-LEUKEMIA FOLLOWING PSORALEN WITH ULTRAVIOLET-A THERAPY - A FLUORESCENCE IN-SITU HYBRIDIZATION STUDY

A woman with mycosis fun,ooides treated by psoralen with ultraviolet A (PUVA) and electron beam therapy developed acute myeloid leukemia (AM L) three years later. Karyotypic analysis of the leukemia cells reveal ed monosomy 7. Fluorescence in situ hybridization showed that the mono somy 7 clone had accounted for about a third of the marrow cells after PUVA treatment, but replaced the entire marrow at leukemic transforma tion. These findings were consistent with a secondary AML evolving fro m an underlying myelodysplasia, supporting that PUVA therapy might hav e a mutagenic effect on hematopoietic cells. This might be related to its effect on circulating hematopoietic stem cells. (C) Elsevier Scien ce Inc., 1997.