PROFILE OF NONCOMPLIANCE IN LYMPHOBLASTIC-LEUKEMIA

A nationwide study of intracellular drug metabolite concentrations in children prescribed 6-mercaptopurine for the treatment of lymphoblasti c leukaemia was carried out to assess interpatient variability at a st andardised dose. Nine children (2% of the total) had completely undete ctable metabolites, indicative of noncompliance. Five were adolescents , but otherwise they had no obvious distinguishing characteristics. No t taking any 6-mercaptopurine at all is uncommon, but the problem cann ot be predicted. The total number of children who do not comply cannot be determined from this study, but the nine children described repres ent only a fraction of these.