Bone marrow depression allopurinol therapy

Mercaptopurine is used in the treatment of acute lymphoid leukemia. Maintenance therapy makes use of both methotrexate and 6-mercaptopurine. Mercaptopurine is absorbed well from the gastrointestinal tract. It is metabolized through (1) methylation of the sulfhydryl group and subsequent oxidation, and (2) conversion to 6-thiouric acid with the aid of xanthine oxidase, which is inhibited by allopurinol. Mercaptopurine may cause hyperuricemia. Its chief toxicities are hepatic damage and bone marrow depression. 

Eosinophilia and leukocytosis are part of a general hypersensitivity reaction to allopurinol. Leukopenia and neutropenia are sometimes associated with allopurinol. Patients taking cytostatic therapy are more susceptible to bone marrow depression if they take allopurinol as well (SED-9, 155) however, this has not been confirmed in other reports (7). Agranulocjdosis is extremely rare. 

Allopurinol (4-hydroxypyrazolo [3, 4-d] pyrimidine) is an inhibitor of xanthine oxidase that was successfully introduced in the treatment of primary gout about 45 years ago [171]. Allopurinol continues to be accepted as standard therapy in the treatment of primary and secondary hyperuricemia. Adverse reactions occur in about 10% of patients treated with allopurinol and are relatively mild and self-limited [171,172]. A mild maculopapular eruption or gastrointestinal disorders are usually noted, which promptly regress with cessation of therapy. Isolated instances of allopecia [173], bone marrow depression [174], ocular lesions [175], acute cholangitis [176], various types of hepatic injuries [177,178] temporal arthritis [179], and xanthine stones [180] have been reported. Recently, LaRosa et al [180a] have reported a case of xanthine nephropathy during treatment of childhood T-cell ALL. 

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