Acute pancreatitis during all-trans-retinoic acid treatment for acute promyelocytic leukemia in a patient without overt hypertriglyceridemia.
All-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) has been successfully used in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). One of its adverse effects is acute pancreatitis. In the literature, a proposed cause of acute pancreatitis is hypertriglyceridemia. Here, we present the case of a 45-year-old male with APL, treated with ATRA combined with induction chemotherapy (cytarabine and idarubicin), who developed acute pancreatitis without overt hypertriglyceridemia. This finding suggests that hypertriglyceridemia might not be the sole contributing factor in the pathogenesis of ATRA-induced acute pancreatitis and that attention should be paid to the possibility that ATRA treatment causes acute pancreatitis in the absence of overt hypertriglyceridemia.
Teng
Hao-Wei
HW
Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, 201, Sec 2, Shih-Pai Road, Taipei 112, Taiwan.
Bai
Li-Yuan
LY
Chao
Ta-Chung
TC
Wang
Wei-Shu
WS
Chen
Po-Min
PM
D000208:Acute Disease; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D015228:Hypertriglyceridemia; D015255:Idarubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015473:Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000139:chemically induced*; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000009:adverse effects*
D003561:Cytarabine; D014212:Tretinoin; D015255:Idarubicin