Sustained ventricular tachycardia in a thalidomide-treated patient with primary plasma-cell leukemia

Patients with primary plasma-cell leukemia (PCL) are usually treated with regimens used for multiple myeloma because no official guidelines exist for the treatment of PCL. Ballantiet al. discuss the case of a 68-year-old man with primary PCL who developed sustained ventricular tachycardia that was thought to be caused by thalidomide. The authors emphasize the need for complete cardiac evaluation and clinical monitoring of patients undergoing thalidomide treatment.