Aim: The aim of this work was to retrospectively analyze patients with Philadelphia-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms through evaluation of frequency and characteristics of second malignancies (other than acute leukaemia and myelodysplastic syndrome).
Patients and methods: Records of 172 patients were reviewed; an analysis was performed on data from 66 patients treated with hydroxyurea, 105 patients treated with other cytoreductive therapy, and 25 patients without treatment.
Results: A higher occurrence of second malignancies was found in the group treated with hydroxyurea (7.6%; other cytoreduction: 1.2%; without therapy: 0). After a median follow-up of 89 months in the hydroxyurea group, 13 patients developed second cancer during hydroxyurea therapy, located on the skin (68.75%) and other sites (31.25%).
Conclusion: The incidence of second malignancies during hydroxyurea therapy in our cohort patient was significantly higher than the incidence of malignancies in the Czech population of corresponding age.
Keywords: Second malignancies; hydroxyurea; myeloproliferative neoplasm; skin cancer.