Clinical lessons to be learned from patients developing chronic myeloid leukemia while on immunosuppressive therapy after solid organ transplantation: yet another case after orthotopic heart transplantation.

Chronic myeloid leukemia developing after transplantation of solid organs and concomitant immunosuppression is a rare but still significant clinical phenomenon. We here describe an additional case of a 62-year-old male patient developing CML after orthotopic heart transplantation and medication with cyclosporine A, mofetil-mycophenolate, and steroids. Initial antileukemic therapy was imatinib at a standard dose and within 15 months of therapy a complete cytogenetic response was noted. In this report we discuss the clinical implications of these rare but biologically important cases.