Reversal of bone marrow angiogenesis in chronic lymphocytic leukemia following fludarabine therapy

We evaluated bone marrow (BM) angiogenesis in 12 responding patients with Binet stage B chronic lymphocytic leukemia who received either chlorambucil or fludarabine. Microvessel density (MVD) was compared between pre-treatment marrow samples and those obtained after at least 4 cycles of chemotherapy. BM angiogenesis decreases in all patients but one, although subset analysis revealed the decrease of BM angiogenesis was significant only in patients who received fludarabine. Even if based on a small number of patients, these results point out the potential in vivo anti-angiogenic activity of fludarabine.