[Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) resulting in broad cerebral infarction during all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) treatment].

A 27-year-old woman visited Kanto Teishin Hospital complaining of fever and petechiae in September, 1992. Her fetus had suddenly died in the uterus two weeks before (in the sixth month of pregnancy). Total white blood cell (WBC) count was 3.2 x 10(3)/microliters with 80% promyelocytes. Bone marrow was hypercellular with 90% promyelocytes. Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) was recognized. She was diagnosed as having acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), and treatment with daily oral administration of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) (70 mg/body/day) was begun. On day 4, hemiplegia and aphasia appeared. Broad cerebral infarction was suspected from computed tomography. On day 9, the WBC count increased rapidly, standard chemotherapy was added and she achieved complete remission. ATRA is known to have stimulatory effects on the differentiation of APL cells, but some reports have described thromboembolic events during the administration of ATRA. In this case, ATRA might have affected coagulability resulting in cerebral infarction.