Prolonged and concurrent lactic acidosis and hypoglycemia in a patient with monocytic leukemia

Lactic acidosis or hypoglycemia occasionally occurs in patients with neoplastic diseases. We have described a patient with monocytic leukemia who had both, apparently as a result of marked leukemic infiltration of the liver. These metabolic anomalies were greatly ameliorated by chemotherapy. Thus, in leukemia and other malignant disorders in which significant liver infiltration is present, these metabolic derangements should be looked for, as their presence may call for a prompt and intensive treatment.