Acute Monocytic Leukemia Linked to Pulmonary Infiltrates and the Importance of Early Induction Chemotherapy

Abstract

Currently there is no consensus on the approach to evaluating lung infiltrates in patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a rare disease with an incidence of 3-4 cases per 100,000 people. The CT findings of pulmonary infiltrates in patients with AML are nonspecific and can range from confluent air-space opacities with patchy consolidation to interstitial markings and multiple subpleural small nodules. Biopsy will most often reveal bacterial or fungal infection and rarely malignant infiltrates. Here is a case of a patient with newly diagnosed AML, specifically of the monoblastic subtype, who was admitted to the hospital for induction chemotherapy and underwent transthoracic lung biopsy that confirmed monoblastic leukemic infiltrates. Following chemotherapy there was complete resolution of the lung infiltrates.