Iron overload during the treatment of acute leukemia: pretransplant transfusion experience

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown the increased risk of mortality in cases with acute leukemia and iron overload. We aimed to determine the status of iron overload in patients with acute leukemia. MATERIALS & METHODS: Patients diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) between January 2015 and December 2019 were included in the study. RESULTS: At 6 months, there were statistically more patients with serum ferritin >1000 in the AML group compared to the ALL group (p = 0,011). CONCLUSION: Iron overload occurs earlier in patients with AML; the difference disappears after 6 months of treatment. It is the correct point to emphasize that iron overload is an important factor of pretransplant morbidity, especially in AML cases.