Acute myelomonocytic leukemia following a chemotherapeutic regimen for metastatic sarcoma.

Acute myelomonocytic leukemia developed in a patient 18 months after treatment with cyclophosphamide, vincristine, adriamycin, and DTIC, a chemotherapeutic regimen used for the treatment of metastatic sarcoma. The patient had had no prior history of radiation. More than 400 patients received this treatment and none of them developed leukemia. The occurrence of leukemia in this relatively short period of time may have been caused by the combined chemotherapeutic agents. However, confirmation of this will require long-term followup studies in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy to determine the true risk of second malignancies.