Anticardiolipin Antibodies in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Prevalence and Clinical Significance

Background: Leukemia in general is known to be associated with coagulopathies. The presence of antiphospholipid antibodies was associated with several medical problems, including recurrent spontaneous abortion, arterial and venous thromboses, and thrombocytopenia. A number of studies report the prevalence of anticardiolipin (ACL) antibodies in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This study was designed to explore the prevalence and the clinical and prognostic significance of ACL antibodies in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Material & methods: The study includes 28 AML patients >15 years old and with no evidence of infection at the time of enrollment. The previous history of thromboembolism, recurrent abortion, and autoimmune disease was given from patients. Serum level of ACL antibodies was determined by indirect enzyme immunoassay. Results: ACL antibodies were found in 9 patients (32.14%). None of the patients had high positive titers (> 40 GPL). Two patients had moderately positive (20-40 GPL), while 7 patients had low positive (10-20 GPL) ACL antibody titers. Conclusion: ACL antibody positivity was not correlated with the risk of thromboembolism, fetal loss, and autoimmune disease. These preliminary results demonstrate a prevalence of ACL antibodies in AML patients and suggest that serum ACL antibodies may have a role in some haematological malignancies. The correlation of ACL antibodies with predicting, relapse, and documenting disease activity is will be continue until 4-19 months of follow up.