Issue: 2019 > May > case report

Acquired haemophilia A in a patient with breast cancer and lung carcinoma: a case report and literature review



CASE REPORT
V. Biesheuvel, S.M. Hiddema, H. Levenga, J. Eikenboom, W.M. van der Deure
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Abstract

Acquired haemophilia A is a rare disorder caused by spontaneous formation of auto-antibodies (inhibitors) against coagulation factor VIII. This can lead tolife-threatening haemorrhages. Six to twenty-two percent of patients with acquired haemophilia have an underlying malignancy. We describe a 69-year-old woman with metastatic breast cancer and non-small cell lung carcinoma who presented at the emergency room with spontaneous bruising, and who was using a vitamin K antagonist. She had a prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) due to a coagulation factor VIII deficiency caused by factor VIII antibodies. She was treated with prednisone and cyclophosphamide.