Leukemia Overview and Differentiation

Leukemia

• Rudolf Virchow was the first to recognize leukemia as a distinct clinical disorder between 1839 and 1845. He named the disorder leukemia because of the white appearance of the blood from patients with fever, weakness, and lymphadenopathy.
• Leukemia results from the abnormal, uncontrolled proliferation and accumulation of one or more of the hematopoietic cells.
• Major symptoms of leukemia are fever, weight loss, and increased sweating.
• Enlargement of the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes may occur, more predominantly in chronic leukemias.
• The basic metabolic rate is often elevated, and there may be hemorrhagic tendencies if marked thrombocytopenia is present.
• Bone pain from a large leukemia cell mass in the bone marrow is typical in the acute leukemias.

Differentiating Leukemia From Other Malignant Leukocyte Disorders

• Leukemia is a disease, usually of leukocytes, in the blood and bone marrow. It involves the overproduction of various types of immature or mature leukocytes in the bone marrow and/or peripheral blood.
• Lymphoma is a general term for malignancy that starts in the lymph system, mainly the lymph nodes.
• Two main types of lymphomas are Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
• Myeloma is a form of cancer of the plasma cells. In myeloma, the cells overgrow, forming a mass or tumor that is located in the bone marrow.

Classification

• Duration
  • Acute leukemia: Days to 6 months
  • Subacute leukemia: 2 to 6 months
  • Chronic leukemia: 1 or 2 years or more
• Number of White Blood Cells Present in PBS
  • Aleukemic leukemia: WBC count < 30% blast

  • 50% erythrocytic precursors

  • M7 - Acute Megakaryocytic Leukemia: > 30% blast, > 30% megakaryocytic cells

Leukemia

• Rudolf Virchow identified Leukemia as a distinct disorder between 1839 and 1845.
• He named the condition "leukemia" because of the white appearance of the blood from patients experiencing fever, weakness, and swollen lymph nodes.
• Leukemia is characterized by the abnormal and uncontrolled growth and accumulation of one or more types of blood-forming cells.
• Common symptoms of leukemia include fever, weight loss and increased sweating.
• Chronic leukemias often involve enlarged liver, spleen, and lymph nodes, while bone pain is a common symptom in acute leukemias due to large leukemia cell accumulations in the bone marrow.

Classifying Leukemia

• Duration:
  • Acute leukemia: lasts from days to six months.
  • Subacute leukemia: lasts for 2 to 6 months.
  • Chronic leukemia: lasts for 1 or 2 years or more.
• Number of white blood cells in the peripheral blood smear (PBS):
  • Aleukemic leukemia: less than 30% blast cells.
  • More than 50 % erythrocytic precursors.
  • M7-Acute Megakaryocytic Leukemia: Greater than 30% blast cells.
  • Greater than 30% megakaryocytic cells.

This quiz covers key aspects of leukemia, including its historical recognition by Rudolf Virchow, symptoms like fever and weight loss, and the distinctive features that differentiate it from other hematological disorders. Test your knowledge on the clinical presentations and complexities of leukemia.