Possible carcinogenic effect of 6-mercaptopurine on bone marrow stem cells- Relation to thiopurine metabolism

BACKGROUND. 6-Mercaptopurine (6MP) has been regarded as nonleukemogenic, ev en though the cytotoxicity of 6MP depends on the incorporation of 6-thiogua nine nucleotides (6TGN) into DNA. In hematopoietic cells this pathway compe tes with S-methylation catalyzed by thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT). Ho wever, methylated 6MP metabolites inhibit purine de novo synthesis and thus may enhance incorporation of 6TGN into DNA. Approximately 10% of white ind ividuals have low TPMT activity as a result of polymorphisms in the TPMT ge ne. The authors attempted to test the hypothesis that the degree of DNA dam age during 6MP therapy might reflect variations in 6MP metabolism and pharm acokinetics. METHODS, The authors measured TPMT activity as well as erythrocyte levels o f 6TGN (E-6TGN) and methylated 6MP metabolites (E-MeMP) during 6MP therapy in 439 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, 5 of whom later develope d secondary myelodysplasia or acute myeloid leukemia (sMDS/AML). RESULTS, The patients who developed sMDS/AML had significantly lower TPMT a ctivity compared with the remaining patients (P = 0.03). The 55 patients wi th TPMT activity <14 U/mL red blood cells (RBC) (antimode of the bimodal di stribution) had a 5-year risk of sMDS/AML of 9 +/- 6% versus 1 +/- 1% for t he remaining patients (P = 0.002). Cox regression analysis identified TPMT activity and E-MeMP level as the strongest predictors of risk for sMDS/AML (global P value = 0.02). Patients with low TPMT activity and high E-MeMP le vels had the highest risk. All 5 patients with sMDS/AML had E-6TGN and/or E -MeMP levels > the 90% percentiles or had TPMT activity < 14 U/mL RBC. CONCLUSIONS. These data demonstrate an increased leukemogenic risk when 6MP is administered with other cytotoxic agents in patients with low TPMT acti vity, and indicate that not only high 6TGN levels but also high levels of m ethylated metabolites may lead to DNA damage. (C) 1999 American Cancer Soci ety.