A Rare Case of Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Soniya Abraham; Sana Sultana; Jay Parekh

doi:10.18502/ijhoscr.v19i3.19294

Soniya Abraham Department of Medicine, Division of Hospital Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, USA
Sana Sultana Department of Medicine, Ramaiah Medical College, Bangalore, India
Jay Parekh Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology Oncology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijhoscr.v19i3.19294

Keywords: Autoimmune hemolytic anemia; Pancreatic cancer; Paraneoplastic syndrome; Solid tumor

Abstract

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is the immune-mediated destruction of red blood cells leading to anemia. It is a well-known paraneoplastic syndrome in hematological malignancies, particularly lymphoproliferative disorders but rarely reported in solid tumors. In this report, we describe the case of a 79-year-old gentleman who presented with mixed AIHA, initially treated with methylprednisolone and rituximab, resulting in laboratory improvement. CT abdomen and pelvis showed a 3.6 cm pancreatic tail mass concerning for neoplasm with splenic vein thrombosis and carcinomatosis. The biopsy revealed pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Methylprednisolone was changed to prednisone and his hemoglobin remained stable throughout the hospital course. This case presents an extremely rare association between AIHA and pancreatic adenocarcinoma.