Leukaemia Flashcards
what are the different types of origin of leukaemia?
- myeloid origin
- lymphoid origin
what type of cell makes for a more aggressive cancer?
the less differentiated the cell, the more aggressive the cancer (e.g origin undifferentiated stem cells would be very aggressive)
what are typical characteristics of cancer cells?
- uncontrolled proliferation
- loss of apoptosis
- loss of normal functions/products
how does haematological malignancy typically come about?
- DNA mutation
- this can switch off a tumour suppressor gene or switch on an oncogene
- leading to clonal proliferation
what type of leukaemia is typically seen in elderly patients?
chronic lymphocytic leukaemia
in terms of the different types of leukaemia, what determines the clinical behaviour?
whether the leukaemia is ACUTE or CHRONIC
what are the different points in the cell lines that cells can become faulty?
- lymphocytic
- lymphoblastic
- myeloid
what type of leukaemia is serious and life-threatening?
acute leukaemia
what is leukaemia?
describes a group of cancers of the bone marrow which prevent normal manufacture of the blood & therefor result in:
- anaemia
- infection (neutropenia)
- bleeding (thrombocytopenia)
what are the clinical presentations associated with leukaemia?
- anaemia
- neutropenia
- thrombocytopenia
- lymphadenopathy
- spleen omega lymph/hepatomegaly
- bone pain (especially in children)
why does splenomegaly/hepatomegaly occur in patient with leukaemia?
due to rapid reprocessing of cells at a higher rate
what are the clinical symptoms associated with anaemia?
- breathlessness
- tiredness
- easily fatigued
- chest pain/angina
what are the clinical signs of anaemia?
- pallor
- signs of cardiac failure (ankle swelling and breathlessness)
- nail changes (brittle nails)
what are the clinical signs that a patient is suffering with neutropenia?
- unusual patterns of infection & rapid spread
- responds to treatment but infection recurs
- signs of systemic involvement (fever, rigors, chills)
what are the clinical symptoms of neutropenia?
- recurrent infection
- unusual severity of infection
what is neutropenia associated with?
- infections associated with portals of entry
- reactivation of latent infections (herpes)
- increased severity, frequency & rapidly leads to systemic infection
what are the clinical symptoms of bleeding problems due to leukaemia in a patient?
- bruises easily or spontaneously
- minor cuts fail to clot
- gingival bleeding or nose bleeds
- menorrhagia
what are the clinical presentations of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia?
- fever, sweats, malaise
- lymphadenopathy is common
- tissue infiltration is common
at what ages is acute lymphoblastic leukaemia most common?
in younger patients
- peaks at age 4
at what age does acute myeloid leukaemia typically occur?
occurs at any age but more common in the elderly
what is the most common type of leukaemia?
chronic lymphocytic leukaemia
who is more likely to be diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia?
- older adults
- more common in males than females
what are the symptoms of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia?
- mostly asymptomatic
- slow progression
what are the clinical presentations of chronic myeloid leukaemia?
- fatigue
- weight loss
- sweating
- anaemia & splenomegaly
