A 15-year-old boy with T-cell
acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) (FAB L1), diagnosed in 1995, received
combination chemotherapy consisting of 6 weeks of induction (
vincristine,
epirubicin, L-
asparaginase,
prednisolone) and 2 weeks of consolidation (
cytosine arabinosides,
etoposide). After achieving remission, for further maintenance of remission, he was treated with 14 cycles of intensive
chemotherapy consisting of 6-MP, 10 mg/kg orally on the first 4 days, and
cyclophosphamide, 1200 mg/m2,
vincristine, 1.5 mg/m2,
epirubicin, 15 mg/m2, and
cytosine arabinoside, 40 mg/m2, intravenously on days 4, 11, 39, and 40, respectively. On day 18 of each cycle, he received intravenous
methotrexate (MTX) infusion in a total dose of 150 mg/m2 plus oral
leucovorin (30 mg/m2 ) rescue 36 h after starting MTX
therapy. In addition, oral
trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was given regularly to prevent
Pneumocystis carinii infection. The patient achieved remission during the first course of treatment, but 8 months later the disease relapsed. He then received four doses of MTX (800 mg intravenously) plus
leucovorin rescue in the following 4 months. During the last MTX
therapy, small hemorrhagic
bullae were found on the lateral side of the right ankle, but subsided after a few days. Due to partial remission of the disease, he was admitted again in January 1999 for high-dose MTX
therapy. An initial hemogram on admission revealed
hemoglobin 7.2 g/dL, white cell count 15,200/mm3, platelet count 153/mm3, blood
creatinine 0.5 mg/dL, and
alanine leucine aminotransferase (ALT) 20 U/L. He received 8500 mg of MTX (5000 mg/m2 ) as a continuous
intravenous infusion for 24 h. Thirty-six hours after the start of MTX infusion,
leucovorin (30 mg, intravenous) rescue was initiated every 6 h for 3 days. Another preventive measure to cover MTX toxicity included aggressive intravenous fluid replacement (4 L/m2 /day) and the addition of 25 meq/L
sodium bicarbonate to the intravenous fluid to alkalinize the urine. Concurrent medication included 6-MP (50 mg) once daily and
trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (120 mg, 600 mg) twice daily every other day. Plasma MTX levels were 52.36 micromol/L 24 h after MTX infusion, 1.87 micromol/L after 48 h, 0.57 micromol/L after 72 h, and 0.41 micromol/L after 96 h. These indicated delayed MTX plasma clearance. The blood
creatinine level was mildly elevated from 0.5 mg/dL to 0.7 mg/dL. Thirty-six hours after the administration of MTX, the patient developed an erythematous painful swelling on the right middle finger. The
erythema, with subsequent large
bulla formation, progressed to all the fingers, toes, palms, and the soles of the feet. Some erythematous to hemorrhagic papules also appeared on the bilateral elbows. Subsequently, diffuse tender
erythema with extensive erosions and focal tiny pustules developed on the back, abdomen, proximal extremities, and face (Fig. 1a,b). A positive Nikolsky's sign was also present. A biopsy specimen of the right dorsal hand lesion revealed
parakeratosis, detached acanthotic epidermis with scattered necrotic keratinocytes, dyskeratotic cells and nuclear atypia, neutrophilic exocytosis, and many neutrophils in the papillary dermis (Fig. 2). The skin condition deteriorated rapidly.
Toxic epidermal necrolysis-like lesions involved 90% of the total body surface on the fifth day after MTX infusion.
Mucositis,
diarrhea, involuntary
tremor,
fever, and
chills were noted. The patient was then sent to the burn unit for intensive
skin care. Ten days after MTX
therapy, profound
agranulocytosis and
thrombocytopenia (white cell count 100/mm3, platelets 14,000/mm3, and
hemoglobin 5.6 g/dL) were found. The patient was then started on granulocyte colony stimulation factor (
G-CSF, 5 microg/kg/day), but his general condition deteriorated rapidly and he died 6 days later due to
septic shock and
multiple organ failure.