Leukemia Flashcards
Leukemia
cancer of the early developing WBCs in the bone marrow
What type of cells are involved in acute leukemia
blast cells
What type of cells are involved in chronic leukemia
mature leukocytes
Gene translocation
a part of one gene relocates to another chromosome
Gene deletion
genes get removed from a chromosome
Gene inversion
genes relocate on the same chromosome
What does the over-proliferation of cancer cells in leukemia cause
interfere with lymph and bone marrow function, suppressing the development of other types of blood cells
Lifespan of leukemia cells
reproduce quickly and don’t die when they should
Where does the build-up of leukemia cells go
bone marrow and overflow into the bloodstream, invade other organs, and impact cell function in other body areas
When is acute myelogenous leukemia diagnosed
when more than 20% of the bone marrow is made-up of cancerous blast cells
Where do myeloid blast cells infiltrate
blood, tissues, spleen, liver, and skin (causes raised nodules and rashes in skin)
Viruses that can cause cancer
Epstein bar, HIV, human t-lymphocyte virus, H. pylori
What are symptoms related to
altered production of blood cells (anemia, high WBC, thrombocytopenia)
Clinical manifestations of leukemia
enlarged lymph nodes/spleen/liver, bone pain, general cancer symptoms
Diagnositcs of leukemia
CBC, bone marrow aspiration, fluorescence hybridization, flow cytometry
