Acute nonlymphocytic leukemia 5 years after treatment with cisplatin, vinblastine, and bleomycin for disseminated testicular cancer

Abstract

The combination of cisplatin, vinblastine, and bleomycin (PVB) was used to treat a 25-year-old man for disseminated testicular germ cell cancer, leading to a complete remission. Acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL), resistant to chemotherapy, developed 5 years later. The secondary nature of this ANLL was corroborated by the detection of nonrandom chromosomal aberrations in bone marrow cells of chromosomes, 7, 5, and 3. This is one of the first reports of possible leukemogenic activity of PVB treatment when applied without additional irradiation or alkylating agents.