Acute Leukemia Panel Overview

When a blood test is advised, your doctor selects one of several test analyses to be carried out on a blood sample at a certified laboratory. Important hints about what is happening inside your body can be learned from these laboratory tests.

Acute Leukemia Panel Overview
 

When a blood test is advised, your doctor selects one of several test analyses to be carried out on a blood sample at a certified laboratory. Important hints about what is happening inside your body can be learned from these laboratory tests.
 

Let us see what is Leukemia…

Leukemia is a form of bone marrow and blood cancer. Cancer is defined as the unmanageable spread of abnormal cells. Cancer occurs in any portion of the body. This super-fast growing, out-of-control development of abnormal cells occurs in the bone marrow. These abnormal cells later spread throughout the bloodstream. Unlike other malignancies, Leukemia does not usually create a mass (tumour) that may be detected on imaging tests like X-rays.

The term "acute" in Acute Leukemia disorder refers to a condition that is rapidly growing and produces undeveloped blast cells rather than mature blood cells. Although it can also affect adults, the most frequent type of cancer is in children.


Acute Leukemia panel test helps in identifying the particular form of Leukemia. Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), and its subtypes are just a few examples of several Leukemia kinds.

What does an Acute Leukemia panel test diagnose?

An acute leukemia panel is helpful for:
 

• For the purpose of prediction, categorization, and diagnosis of acute leukemia.
• Subtype ALL immunologically and distinguish acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) from acute myelogenous Leukemia (AML).
• Separate acute Leukemia from chronic lymphoproliferative diseases.
• Identifying acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AML), acute mixed lineage leukemia, acute megakaryoblastic Leukemia and AML with minimal structural or cytochemical signs of differentiation.
• Your doctor will need to examine samples of cells from your blood and bone marrow if you are suspected of having acute Leukemia. To assist in determining treatment, further tissue and cell samples may be obtained.

How is leukemia diagnosed?

Routine blood tests can warn your doctor that you have an acute or chronic form of leukemia that necessitates further examination. If you have leukemia symptoms, they may suggest undergoing diagnostic tests.

Diagnostic exams and tests may include the following:
 

1. Physical examination: Your doctor will inquire about your symptoms and feel your body for swollen lymph nodes, an enlarged spleen, or an enlarged liver. Additionally, they might look for bruising and swelling in your gums. They might search for a leukemia-related skin rash that can be red, purple, or brown.
2. CBC (Complete blood count): This blood test shows whether you have abnormally high or low quantities of platelets, white blood cells, or red blood cells. White blood cell counts are expected to be higher than normal if you have leukemia.
3. Examining blood cells: Your doctor may collect more blood samples to look for signs of leukemia, such as certain types of leukemia or indicators that show the existence of leukemia cells. Your healthcare professional may also advise peripheral blood smears and flow cytometry as additional testing.
4. Biopsy: If you have an abnormal white blood cell count, the doctor may perform a bone marrow tissue removal or biopsy. During the procedure, fluid is drawn out of your bone marrow using a long needle inserted often in your pelvic bone. Leukemia cells are studied in a lab with a fluid sample. When leukemia is confirmed, a bone marrow biopsy can assist to determine the proportion of abnormal cells in your bone marrow. In the test, the bone marrow is first morphologically assessed, and then subsequently the measurement of the properties of cells (Flow Cytometry) is done to look for repeated genetic abnormalities. It supports accurate diagnosis, appropriate therapy selection, and patient monitoring.
5. Imaging and a few tests: If your symptoms suggest that leukemia has infested your bones, organs, or tissue, the doctor may recommend a chest X-ray, CT scan, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. On imaging, the leukemia cells are not visible.
6. A spinal puncture (spinal tap): The fluid surrounding your spinal cord may occasionally need to be sampled in order to look for leukemia cells. By placing a tiny needle into the spinal canal in your lower back, the doctor can remove this fluid for the test.

If leukemia is, what results can I expect?

The prognosis for leukemia is challenging to predict because each person's experience is unique. Results rely on a number of variables, such as:

Remember that various labs may use somewhat different reference ranges or occasionally different units when interpreting your CBC report. Your outcome will be shown next to the established normal range for healthy individuals.
 

The white blood cell differential examines your white blood cells and the proportion of them in your blood. Normal ranges include:

• Neutrophils: 55% to 70%
• Lymphocytes: 20 to 40%, however, younger children may have larger percentages.
• Monocytes: 2% to 8%
• Number of eosinophils: 1 to 4%
• Basophils range from 0.5 to 1%.
• Neutrophil band (young): 0% to 3%

These ranges can vary depending on circumstances like pregnancy, age, and sex. For instance, a recent study discovered that pregnancy led to a 36% increase in the overall white blood cell count.

• A flow cytometry test determines whether the tumour cells contain a normal or abnormal amount of DNA and the relative rate at which the tumour is growing.
• The kind of leukemia, the rate of tumour growth, and the extent of the disease are all determined through a biopsy.
• Imaging and other tests may reveal details about the presence of infections or other issues as well as the degree of leukemia in the body.
• Lumbar puncture test may be necessary to diagnose the severity of leukemia.

If your diagnostic tests indicate that you have leukemia, your doctor might also identify the specific type of leukemia you have.

• Acute or chronic leukemias are possible. The growth of acute leukemias is rapid, while that of chronic leukemias is typically more gradual.
• According to leukemia type, the cancer cells may appear and behave differently.
• After your leukemia has been identified and you have received a diagnosis and leukemia type determination, the next step is to formulate an informed treatment strategy. 
• You may need to repeat the preliminary tests or go through additional testing if they were not specific enough to identify the type of leukemia.
• Your prognosis may depend on how many leukemia cells were present at the time of your diagnosis.\

Potential side effects of the test

Blood tests are common, safe procedures, and any consequences are typically minor. These may consist of:

• Bruises or small bleeding
• Temporary dizziness
• Several needle punctures as it is difficult to find a vein
• Swelling and pain, and infection