All-transretinoic acid (ATRA) treatment-related pancarditis and severe pulmonary edema in a child with acute promyelocytic leukemia.

Abstract

Use of all-transretinoic acid (ATRA) with other chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) has been shown to cause the differentiation of abnormally granulated specific blast cells into mature granulocytes by acting on the t(15; 17) fusion gene product. The complete remission rate is increased and survival time is prolonged in APL patients who receive chemotherapy plus ATRA, whereas ATRA syndrome and other ATRA-related adverse effects including pseudo tumor cerebri, headache, severe bone pain, mucosal and skin dryness, hypercholesterolemia, and cheilitis may be observed especially during induction phase of the treatment. In this paper, we report a 9-year-old girl with APL who developed pancarditis while receiving the APL-93 treatment protocol. In our patient, endocarditis and myocarditis were initially determined after ATRA treatment during the induction part of the protocol. All findings disappeared after ATRA was discontinued. When ATRA was readministered in the maintenance part of the treatment protocol, she developed pancarditis and severe pulmonary edema. As her symptoms decreased dramatically with the discontinuation of ATRA and the initiation of steroid treatment, the clinical picture strongly suggested the ATRA treatment as the causative factor. To the best of our knowledge, this clinical picture of pancarditis secondary to ATRA treatment has not been reported earlier in the English literature.

• Authors: Pamir Işık, Ilker Çetin, Betul Tavil, Fatih Azik, Abdurrahman Kara, Nese Yarali, Bahattin Tunc
• Journal: Journal of pediatric hematology/oncology (J Pediatr Hematol Oncol) Vol. 32 Issue 8 Pg. e346-8 (Nov 2010) ISSN: 1536-3678 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 20881874 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Tretinoin

Topics

• Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols (adverse effects)
• Child
• Female
• Humans
• Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute (drug therapy)
• Myocarditis (chemically induced)
• Pulmonary Edema (chemically induced)
• Severity of Illness Index
• Tretinoin (adverse effects)