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Abstract
The prevalence of thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT) polymorphism and its association
with clinical and hematological toxicities was retrospectively analyzed in 71 Indian
children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Only heterozygous TPMT alleles were
observed (10%, 7/71) with relative frequencies being *1/*3C (4.2%), *1/*2 (4.2%) and
*1/*3A (1.4%). The median 6-mercaptopurine dose administered during the maintenance
therapy was 31% lower among patients with heterozygous TPMT alleles versus the rest
(32.1mg/m(2)/day and 46.2mg/m(2)/day, p=0.005), though the myelosuppression and toxicities
were similar in both the groups. Identification of TPMT genotype appears to be important
in making the ALL treatment more effective and less toxic.
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