Prolonged remission of leukemia associated with polycythemia vera

A patient with polycythemia vera (PV) received successive treatment by phlebotomies, radioactive phosphorus, myleran and cyclophosphamide. Sixteen years after the diagnosis, he developed acute myeloblastic leukemia. A complete remission was achieved following two courses of COAP (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, Cytosine Arabinoside, and prednisone) therapy. Four months later, while still in leukemic remission, he became mildly polycythemic again and the treatment with phlebotomies and cyclophosphamide was resume. The patient has subsequently been in complete remission of leukemia for over three years and his polycythemia is controlled by small doses of cyclophosphamide. This appears to be a unique case of such a prolonged remission of leukemia in the course of PV, with a return to a mild polycythemia state.