Cure in a child with acute myeloid leukemia following twelve days of chemotherapy and a subsequent Candida tropicalis sepsis

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a neoplastic haematological disorder characterised by a block in the differentiation of bone marrow myeloid cell lineage. AML represents 17% of all childhood leukemias. Prognosis has improved since the early seventies with the use of more intensive chemotherapy protocols and better supportive therapy. At present, remission is achieved in 75% of paediatric patients, with long-term event-free survival rate of 40%. Spontaneous remission (SR) is a rare event during the course of AML. Remission is considered spontaneous if it occurs without administration of known antileukemic treatment or medical intervention. In such rare cases a subsequent relapse is the rule. In this paper we report a complete remission (CR) which lasted for 11 years in a child with AML and subsequent fungal infection after only twelve days of chemotherapy; we discuss the possible mechanisms involved.