Refusal of treatment for acute leukemia in pregnancy: A case report

Abstract

Introduction. Acute leukemia is rare in pregnancy. The importance of promptly diagnosing and treating this disease in pregnancy stems from its life-threatening potential, both to the mother and fetus. Case presentation. We report a case of relapse of acute myeloid leukemia at 23 weeks of pregnancy in a 24-year-old Albanian woman. Our patient categorically refused chemotherapy treatment, and in her 35th week of gestation, severe hemorrhagic diathesis rapidly developed. The manifestation and course of this life-threatening complication posed therapeutic challenges for the attending medical team. Conclusion: Based both on our experience and the results of other gynecological studies, there exists a strong indication that the earlier a patient's chemotherapy treatment begins, the better the maternal outcome. We support chemotherapy for patients who are pregnant presenting with such illness. The present case report testifies that refusal of chemotherapy by such patients is a high-risk decision. © 2013 Hoxha et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.