Leukaemia workshop Flashcards
what is leukaemia
cancer of white blood cells- begins in the bone marrow
what is lymphoma
cancer of the lymph nodes
what is myelodysplasia
disease characterized by poor production of blood cells by the bone marrow - can occur in leukaemias if the neoplastic cells are taking up too much room
what do you tend to see with acute leukaemia
large number of immature (undifferentiated) leukocytes- can’t tell what they are
aggressive and rapid disease
describe chronic leukaemia
malignant proliferation of mature myeloid or lymphoid cells
slow progression and less aggressive in comparison to acute disease
what do you tend to see with chronic leukaemia
large numbers of mature (differentiated) cells - can tell what they are
does cytopenia occur in acute leukaemia
yes
- is a reduced count of blood cells manifesting as anemia, neutropenia, and/or thrombocytopenia
does cytopenia occur in chronic leukaemia
no
what are the first cells to disappear after marrow disruption
neutrophils (hours)
what are the two types of acute leukaemia
acute lymphoid leukaemia (ALL)
Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML)
is ALL or AML more common
AML- Acute myeloid leukaemia
how can we tell the difference between lymphoma and lymphoid leukaemia
lymphoma has small number of blast cells in marrow, a low circulating blast count, mild/absent cytopenia and a massive lymphadenopathy (swelling of lymph nodes?)
how can we analyse what type of cancerous cell we have
using lab antibodies against cell surface markers - CD antigens, immuno-cytology/histology or immuno-labelled flow cytometry
what disease causes enlargement of lymphoid organs
leukaemic phase of lymphoma
List 4 things that can cause lymphadenopathy
reactive hyperplasia
lymphadenitis
metastatic neoplasia
lymphoma
what does lymphoma look like on cytology
increased large immature lymphocytes
Describe reactive hyperplasia of lymph nodes
lymph nodes are reacting to an antigen and have begun to produce new lymphocytes
what does reactive hyperplasia of the lymph node look like on cytology
indistinguishable from normal lymph nodes, mainly small cells, occasional big (immature) cells
what does lymphadenitis look like on cytology
increased neutrophils, eosinophils or macrophages
what does metastatic neoplasia look like on cytology
carcinoma cells, increased mast cells, melanoma cells
what does lymphoma look like on cytology
increased large immature lymphocytes
