Challenging Diagnosis of Pure Erythroid Leukemia: A Case Report and Literature Review

Abstract

Pure erythroid leukemia (PEL) is an extremely rare type of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), accounting for fewer than 1% of all AML cases. A 72-year-old man presented with severe fatigue. His bone marrow aspiration contained myeloperoxidase negative abnormal cells that were aggregating and depicting epithelial adhesion, suggesting the possibility of solid tumor metastasis. His general condition deteriorated during medical diagnosis, and he died soon after starting chemotherapy. PEL appeared to be the definitive diagnosis after evaluating the histopathological findings, which were obtained after his death. With atypical morphological features, immunophenotypic and karyotypic approaches must be integrated for PEL assessment.