Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Acute Myeloblastic Leukemia

WHILE the coexistence or sequential appearance of two uncommon diseases in one patient may be coincidental, frequently a meaningful relationship is suggested. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has been reported in association with various malignant lymphomas,1,2and in one patient3SLE appeared five years after mercaptopurine had induced a complete remission from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Another patient with SLE who developed acute myeloblastic leukemia after a number of years was mentioned by Lee,4but few details were given. The patient reported herein had SLE at least five and possibly 15 years before the onset of acute myeloblastic leukemia and is presented not only because of the rarity of this association but because of the growing recognition and interest in the relationships between autoimmune and leukemic diseases.5 Report of a Case This patient was a 57-year-old white woman who first became ill in 1950, when she noted painful,