Cystic echinococcosis in patients with leukemia: Clinical challenges and review of reported cases.

OBJECTIVES

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) rarely coexists with hematologic malignancies. We report two Peruvian men with leukemia and CE.

CASE REPORT: One patient had chronic lymphocytic leukemia and a hepatic CE2 cyst managed with albendazole and surgery before chemoimmunotherapy, and another patient had B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and prior hepatic and pulmonary CE treated with concurrent albendazole and induction chemotherapy. Both patients lived in endemic highland areas and had childhood exposure to dogs.

DISCUSSION: A literature review identified only a few cases, mostly acute myeloid leukemia, and none from Latin America.

CONCLUSION

These cases highlight therapeutic dilemmas in balancing infection control and malignancy treatment, underscoring the need for tailored management strategies in endemic regions.