Acute leukaemia following high-dose chemoradiotherapy with bone marrow rescue for ovarian teratoma

A case of acute leukaemia following intensive chemo- and radiotherapy for solid tumour is reported. A 15-year-old girl received four courses of chemotherapy with adriamycin, cyclophosphamide and cisplatinum after the surgical diagnosis of ovarian immature teratoma. An intensification treatment was performed with cyclophosphamide and total body irradiation, followed by marrow rescue. The diagnosis of myelomonocytic acute leukaemia was performed 8 months later. The patient died after a transient improvement following a treatment by hydroxyurea. The roles of the primary tumour, of the chemotherapy and of the marrow transplantation in the occurrence of leukaemia are discussed.