Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia in a Patient with Hemophilia

Summary

Factor VIII levels are usually elevated in patients with leukemia, and recently markedly increased levels of factor VIII were described during the relapses of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in a boy with previously documented hemophilia. In this paper we describe a young man with severe classical hemophilia who developed acute promyelocytic leukemia. In contrast to the findings noted above, infused factor VIII in this patient rapidly disappeared, with a half-life of only 4-8 h (expected: 12 h). In addition, the half-life of fibrinogen was 20 h (expected: 72 h), there was marked thrombocytopenia, and decreased levels of factor V. It is suggested that the rapid consumption of factor VIII is consistent with the syndrome of “consumption coagulopathy” which was present as a complication of his acute promyelocytic leukemia.

• References

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