Successful treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis in a child with acute promyelocytic leukemia, on the background of intensive chemotherapy
Authors:   СNE of Lviv regional council «Western Ukrainian Specialized Pediatric Medical Centre», Ukraine, Dorosh O.I. ,   Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, Ukraine, Letz Yu.O. ,   СNE of Lviv regional council «Lviv Regional Phthisiopulmonary Clinical Center», Ukraine, Melko I.P. ,   СNE of Lviv regional council «Western Ukrainian Specialized Pediatric Medical Centre», Ukraine,   Center for Medical Innovations NOVO, Lviv, Ukraine, Tsymbalyuk-Voloshin I.P. ,   СNE of Lviv regional council «Western Ukrainian Specialized Pediatric Medical Centre», Ukraine, Romanyshyn B.S. ,   СNE of Lviv regional council «Western Ukrainian Specialized Pediatric Medical Centre», Ukraine, Lyha O.V. ,   СNE of Lviv regional council «Western Ukrainian Specialized Pediatric Medical Centre», Ukraine,   Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, Ukraine
Published: January 2022

The predisposition of patients with acute leukemia (АL) to various infectious complications is a well-known fact. The reason is a decrease in immunity due to the underlying disease and due to the use of immunosuppressive cytostatic and radiotherapy. Tuberculosis infections (TIs) are serious and life-threatening complications in patients with malignant hematological disorders and recipients after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Verification of tuberculosis (TB) is often delayed among patients with hematooncological diseases due to low suspicion and due to the search for other infectious complications. Those with the involvement of the respiratory system are the most common complications in immunologically compromised patients. In acute leukemia, the TB process may have been underestimated, due to negative tests for mycobacterium tuberculosis (MBT), and patients with neoplasia are often prescribed antibacterial agents such as amikacin and ftorchinolones, which are also effective against TI. We describe a 10-year-old boy who was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis, a disseminated form complicated by hydrothorax, during induction chemotherapy for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). For diagnostic purposes, repeated punctures of the pleural cavity with drainage of pathological effusion and diagnostic and remedial bronchoscopy were performed, bacterial pneumonia and systemic mycosis were suspected. The diagnosis of TB was verified on the basis of positive PCR test for TB, molecular genetic study of sputum, bronchial lavage for the presence of genome of MBT without resistance to rifampicin, sputum microscopy, while sputum culture and pleural fluid were negative for MBT. TB treatment was coEadministered with AML-BFM 2004 intensive cytostatic therapy without dose reduction of cytostatics. The child was prescribed intensive tuberculostatic therapy with 4 drugs (rifampicin + isoniazid + pyrazinamide + inbutol) for 3 months and subsequent maintenance antituberculous chemotherapy with two drugs for 4 months (rifampicin + isonimazide). With this analysis, we advocate the need for early suspicion of TB in patients receiving treatment for AL. The results of our study suggest that antitumor chemotherapy is not an obstacle to effective TB-treatment. The described patient is in remission of AML and TB for 21 months. The research was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki declaration. The informed consent of the patient was obtained for conducting the studies. No conflict of interest was declared by the authors. Key words: acute promyelocytic leukemia, tuberculosis, cytostatic therapy, children.