Autoimmune hemolytic anemia in patients with de novo acute myelocytic leukemia.

Autoantibody against erythrocytes has occasionally been observed in patients with de novo acute myelocytic leukemia (AML). However, it is not clear whether this autoantibody in AML patients induces frank hemolysis (autoimmune hemolytic anemia, AIHA), as seen in lymphoid neoplasms. We present two de novo AML patients who showed hemolysis due to antiglobulin test-positive and test-negative AIHA, respectively. AIHA should be considered as one cause of anemia in de novo AML patients, and blood transfusions should be given carefully in such cases to avoid harmful hemolysis.