4 - Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Flashcards
ALL
Acute LymphoBLASTic Leukemia Focuses on very early immature cells Aggressive Requires immediate treatment Curable
CLL
Chronic LymphoCYTic Leukemia
Often indolent
May not need treatment for years
Incurable
ALL - Detected but not treated
You could die within days to weeks
Malignant lymphocytes mainly in the lymph nodes
Lymphoma
Malignant lymphocytes mainly in the blood and bone marrow
Leukemia
Lymphocytic Leukemia - Arrested a mature state
CLL
Lymphocytic Leukemia - Arrested at an immature state
ALL
2 Types of ALL
B Cell
T Cell
ALL - Incidence
Rare
~1000 cases per year
ALL - Prognosis
Pediatrics - Curable, even at relapse
Adults - Often fatal
ALL - Risk Factors
Radiation exposure
Trisomy 21
ALL - Patient Presentation
Acute complications of cytopenias (Bleeding, Infection, Fatigue, Dyspnea, Dizziness)
Fever
Bone Pain
Rarely lymphadenopathy
Acute complications of cytopenias
Bleeding Infection Fatigue Dyspnea Dizziness
ALL - Microscopic
Large redundant lymphocytes Open chromatin Prominent nucleoli Light purple cytoplasm No granules
ALL - Physical Exam
Signs of anemia Ecchymosis, petechiae Lymphadenopathy (rare) Splenomegaly (rare) Rash (from an infection)
ALL - Diagnosis
Bone Marrow Tests: Core biopsy Flow cytometry Aspirate slides Cytogenetics
Source for core biopsy: Superior iliac crest (feel through the skin)
Flow Cytometry
Critical test for all lymphoid malignancies
Less critical for myeloid malignancies
Suck fluid out of bone marrow, or take blood
Label the cells with fluorescent antibodies
Shoot cells down a channel
Hit them with a laser and see what lights up
Therapeutic implications:
Once you know which surface markers are on a cancer cell, you can target those cells using that surface marker.
B Cell ALL - Diagnosis on Flow Cytometry
TdT CD19 (can be therapeutic target) CD22 CD79 Immunoglobulin
T Cell ALL - Diagnosis on Flow Cytometry
TdT
CD7
CD2
CD3
CD19
B Cell ALL Marker
Can be therapeutic target
T Cell ALLs often present with
Large mediastinal mass
When it disappears, it means you’ve given good chemotherapy and it’s worked
Components of Therapy - ALL
Induction
CNS Therapy
Intensification
Maintenance
ALL Therapy - Induction
Prednisone Dexamethasone Vincristine Doxorubicin Cyclophosphamide Asparaginase
ALL Therapy - CNS Therapy
Craniospinal irradiation
Intrathecal Methotrexate and Cytarabine
This is important because ALL spreads to the CNS through the CSF
Maybe don’t radiate kids though if you can avoid it. Check CSF to see if there’s any cancer in there.
ALL Therapy - Intensification
Similar to Induction:
Prednisone Dexamethasone Vincristine Doxocubicin Cyclophosphamide Asparaginase
ALL Therapy - Maintenance
Prednisone
Mercaptopurine
Methotrexate
ALL Therapy - Time Course
2+ years
Chemotherapy - Dexamethasone
Directly toxic to lymphocytes
Chemotherapy - Prednisone
Directly toxic to lymphocytes
Chemotherapy - Vincristine
Inhibits microtubule polymerization
Chemotherapy - Doxorubicin
Inhibits Topoisomerase II
Used in lymphoma, leukemia, breast cancer, etc