First report of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in an Egyptian child with β-thalassemia major

Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia in a Woman with Thalassemia Intermedia: Case Report and Review of Literature on Hematological Malignancies in β-Thalassemia Patients

Patients affected by transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia are prone to developing several clinical complications, mostly related to the iron overload. We report the case of a patient affected by transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia (TDT) developing acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). In our case, the therapeutic management was significantly complicated not only by myocardial dysfunction, but also by the occurrence of the differentiation syndrome following all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) administration. We carried out a careful revision of the current literature on the occurrence of hematological malignancies in β-thalassemia patients to investigate the major complications so far described. APL occurrence in β-thalassemia patients has been very rarely reported, and our experience suggests that TDT patients suffering pre-existing comorbidities may develop a potentially fatal complication during ATRA therapy.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia in a β-thalassemia intermedia child: A case report

BACKGROUND

β-thalassemia intermedia (βTI) is one of the hemoglobinopathies. It constitutes 10% of β-thalassemia cases and is associated with better quality of life than β-thalassemia major (βTM).

CASE SUMMARY

We recently reported the first case of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) from Egypt in a child with βTM, and we herein report the first case of ALL from Egypt in a child with βTI. In this report, literature was reviewed for cases of malignancies associated with βTI and the possible factors underling the relationship between the two entities.

CONCLUSIO

We stress that physicians should have a high index of suspicion of malignancies in thalassemia patients if they present with any suggestive symptoms or signs.