Recent results of the follow-up of radium-224-treated ankylosing spondylitis patients

In this study 1473 ankylosing spondylitis patients were followed after treatment with 10-12 weekly injections of radium 224 of about 1MBq each injections( skeletal dose 0.56-0.67 Gy for a 70 kg man). 495 in the exposure group and 602 in the controls have died. By June 1988 (mean follow-up time 17 years), 3 cases of skeletal malignancies were observed in the exposure group versus one in the controls. Haematopoietic tissue disease among living and dead included bone marrow failure (10 in the exposed, seven in controls), and leukemias (7 versus 4). In the exposure group 3 of the leukemias were chronic myeloid and one acute lymphoblastic, and in the controls no chronic myeloid cases were found but 3 cases of lymphoblastic leukemia. Incidence of myeloproliferative disease is discussed compared with patients treated with other doses and dose rates. (author)