Via practica 3/2016

Acute leukemias – what should general practitioner know

Leukemia is a clonal proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow. The four broad subtypes most likely to be encountered by primary care physicians are acute lymphoblastic, acute myelogenous, chronic lymphocytic, and chronic myelogenous. We will focus on acute leukemias in this paper. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia occurs more often in children, whereas the other subtypes are more common in adults. Symptoms are nonspecific and include fever, fatigue, weight loss, bone pain, bruising or bleeding. A complete blood count usually reveals leukocytosis and other abnormally elevated or depressed cell lines. Patients with suspected leukemia should be referred promptly to a hematologist. The diagnosis is confirmed by further examination of the bone marrow or peripheral blood. Treatment may include chemotherapy, radiation, or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Keywords: acute leukemia, diagnosis, review