Tuberc Respir Dis.  2008 Jul;65(1):49-51. 10.4046/trd.2008.65.1.49.

A Case of Acute Myeloid Leukemia with Multilineage Dysplasia accompanying Malignant Pleural Effusion

• Seo YI
• Choi TY
• Shin JW
• Won JH
• Lee SC
• Park HS
• Lee NS
• Park R

• KMID: 1478217
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2008.65.1.49

Abstract

We report a case of acute myeloid leukemia with multilineage dysplasia accompanying malignant pleural effusion. A 73 year-old male patient was admitted complaining of febrile sensations and right chest pain. The cytology of the pleural fluid revealed malignant pleural effusion showing many blasts, which had previously been identified in his bone marrow when he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia with multilineage dysplasia two months earlier. His age and poor general condition had precluded chemotherapy with the exception of hydroxyurea and conservative treatment. Unfortunately, he succumbed to the disease 4.5 months after diagnosis. This case highlights the importance of determining if the pleural effusion of acute leukemia is malignant or not because it can suggest a pleural metastasis and influence the prognosis.

Keyword

Malignant pleural effusion; Acute myeloid leukemia with multilineage dysplasia; Extramedullary involvement

MeSH Terms

Bone Marrow
Chest Pain
Humans
Hydroxyurea
Leukemia
Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute
Male
Neoplasm Metastasis
Pleural Effusion
Pleural Effusion, Malignant
Prognosis
Sensation
Hydroxyurea

Figure

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  Figure 1 Chest X-rays. Left: Chest PA at diagnosis of acute leukemia. Right: chest AP showing consolidation in both lungs and right pleural effusion at diagnosis of malignant pleural effusion.

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  Figure 2 Pleural fluid cytospin showing myeloid blasts on which CD13, and CD33 were expressed (Wright-Giemsa stain, ×1,000).

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