Seven cases of secondary acute leukemia following therapy of breast cancer

Secondary acute leukemia is a rare and fatal complication after the treatment of breast cancer. Recently, we experienced 2 cases of acute leukemia that had developed during the follow-up period after adjuvant therapy of breast cancer. In addition, retrospective analysis of medical records of St. Mary's hospital, the Catholic University of Korea, revealed another 5 cases of secondary leukemia following the treatment of breast cancer. Total 7 cases of secondary acute leukemia of breast cancer were reviewed and summarized according to their clinical characteristics. The mean age at diagnosis of primary breast cancer was 38.9 years (range, 16-49), and the average period from the completion of chemotherapy to the diagnosis of acute leukemia was 30.9 months (range, 11-40). The mean survival period of the 7 patients after diagnosis of leukemia was 4.6 months. Based on these findings, the risk of secondary leukemia following the treatment of breast should be considered in choosing chemotherapy and radiotherapy for the treatment of breast cancer especially in the young patients.