Neonatal Leukaemia: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

<i>Background:</i> Acute leukemia has a particularly bad prognosis in the newborn era. Its prognosis is significantly poorer than in older youngsters. The occurrence of leukaemia in the neonatal period can present diagnostic challenges due to the rarity of the condition and its clinical presentation, which may be misleading or inconspicuous. <i>Case report:</i> A case of neonatal acute myeloblastic leukaemia (AML) in a newborn with trisomy 21 is presented herein. The patient was admitted with respiratory distress and a clinical examination revealed a facial dysmorphic syndrome, pallor, hepatosplenomegaly, and a bone marrow failure syndrome with bone marrow invasion by 36% myeloblasts, confirming the diagnosis of AML. The immunophenotyping results indicated that the patient had AML0, with a low CD13+ and CD33+ MPO myeloid population. During the patient's hospitalisation, a multi-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae urinary tract infection was diagnosed, and septic shock was diagnosed after four days. <i>Conclusion:</i> Acute neonatal leukaemia is a rare and complex condition that requires the expertise of both neonatologists and paediatric haematologists.