Acute promyelocytic leukemia in a HIV seropositive patient

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is infrequent in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Among AML, acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) has been rarely described in such patients, with only one case being published. We report a 30 years-old intravenous drug abuser HIV-infected male with APL who attained complete clinical, morphological, and molecular remission after differentiation therapy with all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) followed by intensive chemotherapy. The results of treatment in this patient and in other AML published cases suggest that therapy for AML should not be modified because of HIV infection if patients have an adequate performance status.