1998 Volume 12 Issue 6 Pages 429-433
This report is on the development of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in a 21-year-old Japanese female with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). She had previously received immunosuppressive agents, including corticosteroid and azathioprine to treat SLE. After about 11 years of medical care, she developed AML. She aggressively underwent induction chemotherapy with antileukemic drugs. In spite of these treatments at induction, a complete remission was not achieved. A postmortem examination was performed and leukemic infiltrates were found in almost all organs, including bone marrow, liver, spleen, kidneys, colon, and lymphnodes. Although the occurrence of autoimmune disease and lymphoproliferative disorders is shown, it is rare that AML developed during the course of SLE. The occurrence of this malignancy might have been coincidental or caused by other factors; however, the likelihood that it developed as a result of the administration of azathioprine is of great concern. Physicians should remain alert to an occurrence in patients with SLE treated with such a drug.
