Oncology >>>> Acute leukemia - signs and diagnosis

Acute leukemia - signs and diagnosis.

Acute leukemia is a disease associated with impaired production of healthy blood cells in the bone marrow substance and the possibility of their transformation into full-fledged types of blood cells.

The bone marrow produces homopoietic blood cells (progenitor cells), which then differentiate into different types of cells with specific functions.

In acute leukemia, a homopoietic cell that matures in the bone marrow turns into an ordinary cell (blast) with a shortened life cycle. Normal bone marrow cells are displaced by proliferating lymphoblasts and myeloblasts. An abnormal cell is carried with the bloodstream to various organs and tissues: lymph nodes, nervous tissue, liver, kidneys, etc.

Anemia, thrombocytopenia and granulocytopenia develop gradually.

Signs of acute leukemia do not have specific differences:

pallor of the skin,
nausea,
weight loss,
general weakness,
the temperature may rise,
capillary hemorrhages (petichiae) appear on the skin,
possible bruising of non-traumatic origin,
bleeding can also be observed in the area of the oral mucosa,
tachycardia,
headaches,
symptoms may mimic the flu or other respiratory illness.

Against the background of a large number of blast cells, the level of leukocytes is significantly reduced. Due to the fact that blood cells are replaced by blasts, they do not fulfill their immune functions, which leads to the development of an infection, manifested, for example, as necrotizing tonsillitis, necrotizing gingivitis, stomatitis, abscess, phlegmon, and even in difficult cases of sepsis.

Of great importance in the treatment of acute leukemia is the correct diagnosis of the disease and its differentiation with similar blood diseases.

Diagnostics includes a complete blood count, peripheral blood analysis. In the blood, they detect the presence of blast cells in large numbers (up to 90%, while in a healthy state they are present in much smaller volumes. Pancytopenia is detected - a change in the quantitative composition of blood cells (erythrocytes, leukocytes, platelets, etc.) downward.

Acute leukemia is differentiated from diseases such as:

plastic anemia,
mononucleosis,
thrombocytopenia,
agranulocytosis and others.

Histological and cytological studies, immunophenotyping are performed. If symptoms of damage to the central nervous system are observed, lumbar puncture and tomography of the brain are performed.

Treatment is carried out until remission develops. The number of blast cells should be reduced to 5% or less. A bone marrow transplant from a donor is considered the ideal solution in the treatment of acute leukemia. But until the transplantation of the red bone marrow substance, chemotherapy and radiation are used.