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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol 2018; 39(02): 254-256
DOI: 10.4103/ijmpo.ijmpo_128_16
Case Report

Malignancy Associated Microangiopathic Hemolytic Anemia and Thrombocytopenia

Mansoor C Abdulla
Department of General Medicine, MES Medical College, Perinthalmanna, Kerala, India
,
Jemshad Alungal
Department of General Medicine, MES Medical College, Perinthalmanna, Kerala, India
,
Lekha K Nair
Department of Pathology, MES Medical College, Perinthalmanna, Kerala, India
,
Mohthash Musambil
Central Research Lab, MES Medical College, Perinthalmanna, Kerala, India
› Author Affiliations Financial support and sponsorship Nil.
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Abstract

Disseminated malignancy can rarely present with microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia clinically similar to thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), but does not respond to plasma exchange. TTP carries a grave prognosis if plasma exchange is delayed. Evaluating patients presenting with microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia is challenging for clinicians. Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) should be considered in such patients and emergency plasma exchange is to be initiated. But all the clinical features seen in TTP can be caused by a disseminated malignancy. The awareness of such a rare presentation of disseminated malignancy helps clinicians to avoid unnecessary delay in appropriate treatment and the complications due to plasma exchange. We report two patients who presented with microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia due to disseminated malignancy.

Keywords

Disseminated malignancy - microangiopathic hemolytic anemia - thrombocytopenia - thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura


Publication History

Article published online:
23 June 2021

© 2018. Indian Society of Medical and Paediatric Oncology. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.)

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