Interstitial pneumonitis due to leukaemic cell necrosis

Pulmonary complications are common in patients with acute leukaemia. Infection is the usual cause of these. A case of acute leukaemia is described in which diffuse interstitial pneumonitis developed during remission induction therapy. This occurred during a very rapid fall in the leukaemic blast population following the start of chemotherapy. Open lung biopsy showed necrotic leukaemic cells filling the lung interstitium. The patient made an uneventful recovery from this complication.