Autoimmune hemolytic anemia and carcinoma: an unusual association

Four patients with Coombs'-positive hemolytic anemia associated with carcinoma are presented and compared to 12 previously described patients. These patients commonly seek medical attention for symptoms of anemia rather than for complaints due to the tumor mass. The physician should particularly evaluate for an underlying carcinoma when a patient over the age of 60 years presents with autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Autoimmune hemolytic disease has been demonstrated in patients with a wide variety of tumors, including squamous cell carcinomas, adenocarcinomas, hypernephromas, oat cell carcinomas and a seminoma. Corticosteroid treatment is less effective in autoimmune hemolytic disease associated with carcinoma than in idiopathic autoimmune hemolysis. Tumor extirpation in patients with localized neoplastic disease may abolish the autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Control of the carcinoma through irradiation and chemotherapy together with corticosteroid therapy and/or splenectomy lessened the anemia in some patients. The positive Coombs' test may revert to negative with tumor excision or control. Subsequently, the positivity of the Coombs' reaction may provide a clue to recurrent neoplastic activity. The pathogenic mechanism underlying the association between carcinoma and autoimmune hemolytic disease is poorly understood.