Do mutations at the glycophorin A locus in patients treated for childhood Hodgkin's disease predict secondary leukaemia?

Childhood Hodgkin's disease has a high cure rate but second cancers are common, related to treatment and perhaps genetic predisposition. The glycophorin A (GPA) mutation assay measures the frequency of NO and NN mutant erythrocytes of MN blood-group heterozygous individuals. Mutant frequencies in Hodgkin's disease patients were compared with controls. No significant difference from controls was found pretreatment or in patients treated with radiotherapy only. Patients who received chemotherapy had a significantly increased frequency (total mutation frequency per 10(6) cells: 31 vs 11, p < 0.001), which may be relevant to their known increased risk of secondary leukaemia.