The Rare Transition of Polycythaemia Vera to Chronic Myelogenous Leukaemia and Management in a Low Resource Setting

Subhashchandra Daga, Shubhangi Bahirat and Rini Shaji

Medical Officer in charge, Primary Health Center, India Trainee Intern, Primary Health Center, India

^*Correspondance to: Subhashchandra Daga 

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Abstract:

Polycythaemia Vera (PV) is a cancerous condition that is characterized by excessive red blood cell production, carrying a risk of Vascular thrombosis and bleeding. PV often progresses to leukaemia or myelofibrosis; a transition to Chronic Myelogenous Leukaemia (CML) is, however, rare. A young boy, a daily wage farm worker and the sole breadwinner for the family, presented to the Primary Health Centre with a respiratory infection. His skin and eyes were unusually red. He had a massive spleen and a modest liver enlargement. Clinical findings and blood examination findings were consistent with both PV and CML. Following the patient’s refusal of referral services, the Primary Health Centre (PHC) initiated affordable cytoreductive therapy with Hydroxyurea (HU) and aspirin. The cost of conventional PV treatment is exorbitant. HU has been shown to benefit both PV and CML. The initial evaluation cost was 25 USD, with daily medication costing 0.25 USD. A charity partly covered travel expenses for each visit to the center. This case of PV highlights a rare disease progression and demonstrates that an affordable HU option can benefit both PV and CML in low-resource settings.

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Cite the Article:

Daga S, Bahirat S, Shaji R. The Rare Transition of Polycythaemia Vera to Chronic Myelogenous Leukaemia and Management in a Low-Resource Setting. Clin Oncol. 2026; 11: 2134..