Acute Pericarditis Caused by Daunorubicin in an AML Patient

Abstract

A 33-year-old male was admitted because of the right thigh pain. He was diagnosed as acute myeloblastic leukemia (FAB M2) from hematological examinations and treated with daunorubicin, 6-mercaptopurine and cytosine arabinoside. On the 10th hospital day, he complained of anterior chest pain. Chest X-ray examination, electrocardiography and echocardiography revealed acute pericarditis. Following pericardiocentesis, he gradually recovered from pericarditis and achieved complete remission from AML. The pericardial effusion was aseptic exdative fluid without leukemic cell infiltration. We considered his pericarditis was caused by subacute cardiotoxicity of daunorubicin. Although daunorubicin highly frequently induces cardiotoxicity such as acute myocardial injury and chronic cardiac failure, pericarditis as subacute cardiotoxicity of daunorubicin has been rarely reported.
We wish this case report calls attention to subacute cardiotoxicity of daunorubicin in AML treatment.