A Case Report on Aggressive Natural Killer Cell Leukemia in a Pediatric Patient

Aggressive natural killer cell leukemia (ANKL) is a rare neoplastic malignancy, especially in pediatric populations with very few cases reported in the literature. It commonly presents with a rapidly declining clinical course and has a median survival of two months. We report the case of a 15-year-o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCurēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 14; no. 6
Main Authors Donato, Umberto M, Shoeleh, Celeste, Galligan, Andrew
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Palo Alto Cureus Inc 03.06.2022
Cureus
Subjects
Anemia
Biopsy
Blood platelets
Blood pressure
Bone marrow
Case reports
Chemotherapy
Creatinine
Epstein-Barr virus
Fever
Hemoglobin
Infections
Laboratories
Leukemia
Liver
Lymphatic system
Lymphoma
Medical prognosis
Oncology
Patients
Pediatrics
Stem cell transplantation
Thrombocytopenia
Tumors
Uric acid
Vital signs
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Summary:Aggressive natural killer cell leukemia (ANKL) is a rare neoplastic malignancy, especially in pediatric populations with very few cases reported in the literature. It commonly presents with a rapidly declining clinical course and has a median survival of two months. We report the case of a 15-year-old female who presented with fever, hepatosplenomegaly, hemophagocytosis, and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). The patient was ultimately diagnosed with ANKL but died after developing multiorgan failure and DIC prior to the initiation of any treatment. In this case report, we review and discuss the literature concerning the diagnosis and treatment of ANKL in pediatric patients.
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.25634