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Marcus E. Randall, MD; William C. Constable, MD
University of Virginia Medical Center Charlottesville

JAMA. 1985;254(8):1033.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

The article from the Council on Scientific Affairs¹ on handling parenteral antineoplastic agents was timely and well written. However, in discussing the risk of leukemia developing in patients with Hodgkin's disease who have been exposed to alkylating agents and procarbazine, a serious error was made in stating unequivocally that "these patients also received lymphoid irradiation." In numerous studies, the incidence of acute nonlymphocytic leukemia after combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy for Hodgkin's disease has been no greater than that after chemotherapy alone.^2-5 Furthermore, reports of leukemia following radiotherapy alone are very rare.

Clearly, the studies quoted above do not rule out a possible contribution to leukemogenesis by radiotherapy. However, such unqualified and erroneous statements as appeared in this article serve only to oversimplify a complex issue and, to some extent, misinform the many nononcologists who read your publication. . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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