Acute myeloid leukemia with gastric carcinoma: A case report of a double malignancy

Multiple primary cancers (MPC) are malignant tumors that manifest as multiple primary tumors diagnosed in the same patient, either simultaneously or sequentially. Billroth first proposed the concept in 1889. Here, we report a rare case of untreated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and adenocarcinoma of the cardia.

A 58-year-old male with muscle and joint pain for >1 month was admitted to the hospital with severe chest pain for 3 hours on July 14, 2023. The patient had chest tightness, shortness of breath, and dyspnea. The skin, mucosa, and lips of the patient were slightly pale and the sternum had mild tenderness. Other systemic examinations did not reveal any obvious abnormalities. The results of routine blood tests on admission were as follows: white blood cells, 7.46 × 109/L; red blood cells, 2.32 × 1012/L; hemoglobin, 90 g/L; and platelets, 62 × 109/L.

The patient was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (FLT3, DNMT3A, U2AF1, and SMC3 mutations; KMT2A amplification; high-risk) and adenocarcinoma of the cardia.

The patient was treated with azacitidine + Veneckla chemotherapy, and through precise regulation, the patient survived the period of bone marrow suppression. He was unable to achieve complete relief and finally underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in February 2024.

Bone marrow cytology and minimal residual disease analysis indicated complete relief on April 22, 2024, with the bone marrow exhibiting complete chimerism (99.63%). The patient and his family members decided to seize the opportunity to perform radical surgical treatment for gastric cancer on May 16, 2024.

The development of medicine, especially in oncology, has led to an increased possibility of developing multiple cancers. Clinically, some doctors may not be aware of the existence of multiple primary cancers, especially simultaneous carcinomas, which can be easily missed or misdiagnosed.