Coroner's Finding: NGUYEN An Hoang Le

4y · Male·acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

An Hoang Le Nguyen, a 4-year-old boy, died from acute lymphoblastic leukaemia with CNS involvement. He presented with a 4-day history of abdominal pain, lethargy, fever, and respiratory symptoms at Royal Darwin Hospital where leukaemia was diagnosed. He developed life-threatening complications including disseminated intravascular coagulation, respiratory failure requiring intubation, cerebral ischaemia, and intraocular haemorrhage. Despite appropriate management including chemotherapy, leukapheresis, neurosurgical intervention for cerebral bleeding, and stem cell transplant in Sydney, he relapsed in July 2015. Medical care was optimal and appropriately managed. The coroner found no clinical issues contributing to death and made no recommendations. This case highlights the aggressive nature of early-presenting T-cell ALL with CNS disease in young children and the limitations of current curative therapies in high-risk cases.