Liver Involvement with Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Abstract

Liver involvement with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is rarely reported. The majority of published cases suggest a cholestatic picture and obstructive jaundice at presentation. On the contrary, our patient presented with transaminitis without cholestasis. Elevated liver function tests persisted in our patient despite cholecystectomy; however, they normalized with chemotherapy administration, suggesting that AML was the causative effect of the hepatitis-like picture. Our review of the literature revealed that most reported cases of AML with liver involvement had short-lived remissions and an overall ominous prognosis. In our opinion, patients who have liver involvement with AML should be offered alternative investigational therapies with a low hepatic toxicity profile.