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NEOPLASTIC DISORDERS OFWHITE BLOOD CELLS
• These include
• Leukemias
• Lymphomas
• Myelomatosis and related conditions
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Leukemias
• These areneoplastic clonal disorders of hematopoietic
tissues in which a stem cell or other precursor blood cell in
the bone marrow or lymphoid tissue proliferates
• Clonal proliferation of the leukemic cells and tissue
infiltration lead to the impairment or suppression of normal
blood cell production
• Leukemic cells do not function or mature normally
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Classification of Leukemia
•This is based on whether the disease is acute (rapidly progressive) or
chronic (slowly progressive) and whether the leukemic cells are of
myeloid or lymphoid in origin.
• Leukemias can therefore be broadly divided into :
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
 Acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL)
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)
Chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL
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Features of acuteleukemias
Features Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) A cute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
abnormality Clonal proliferation of myeloblasts Clonal proliferation of lymphoblasts
Age incidence More common in adults in Tropical Africa. but generally
have similar frequency as ALL in children below 15yrs.
Most often found in children (males more than females)
Clinical
findings
Bone pain, fever, anaemic ,bleeding purpura, thrombosis
and hepatosplenomegally.
There is often inflammation of the gums, skin involvement
and coagulation defects
Bone pain, fever, anaemia, bleeding, purpura, thrombosis and
hepatosplenomegally.
Lymphadenopathy and Central nervous system involvement
(late stages of the disease)
Laboratory
Findings
• Increased WBC count but can be normal.
• Reduced platelets
• Haemoglobin level is reduced or normal
• Myeloblasts seen in PBF
• Presence of Auer rods is diagnostic.
• Bone marrow is hypercellular with myeloblast.
• Increased WBC count but can be normal.
• Reduced platelets
• Haemoglobin level is reduced or normal
• Lymphoblasts seen in PBF
• Auer rods absent.
• Bone marrow is hypercellular with lymphoblasts and
lymphocytes.
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Features of chronicleukemias
Features Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) Chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL)
abnormality Clonal proliferation of myeloid cells Clonal proliferation of B lymphocytes occasionally of T
lymphocytes
Age
incidence
In developing countries CML is common in younger people
and children
More often found in older people >60yrs of age, with more
men affected than females. In Tropical Africa CLL is also
found in younger people
Clinical
findings
Splenomegaly, lethargy, and weight loss in early stages. CML
develops into AML which is preceded with an accelerated
stage. The spleen and liver enlarge. There is anaemia,
thrombocytopenia with bleeding tendency, fever, sweats and
bone pain .
Weight loss, lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomegally. In
late stages inadequate immune responses resulting in
infections
.Anaemia from hypersplenomegally and autoimmune
haemolysis.
Laboratory
findings
• WBC increased
• Platelets increased or normal
• HB reduced or normal
• PBF shows increased neutrophils, marked left shift
with all stages of neutrophilic cell maturation seen
• Bone marrow hypercellular with mature and
immature myeloid cells seen
• WBC increased
• Platelets reduced in late stages
• HB moderately reduced
• PBF shows absolute lymphocytosis
• Bone marrow hypercellular with lymphoid cells.
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Investigations:
• TBC and:
– 60% of pts have an elevated WBC.
– Most are anemic
– Most are thrombocytopenic
• PBF
- 90%have blast in the peripheral blood film.
• Bone marrow aspirate and biopsy :
– 20% or more of all nucleated cells are blast.
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• Cytochemical staining
–Sudan Black – ALL
– Myeloperoxidase - AML
• Cytogenetic studies
– T(15;17), T(8;21), Inv(16).
• Radiology:
– CXR: Mediastinal mass(T-cell ALL)
– Osteopenia or lytic lesion 50% of patients with ALL.(intractable pain).
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•
The Philadelphia chromosome
Itis characterized by a cytogenetic aberration consisting of a reciprocal
translocation between the long arms of chromosomes 22 and 9; t(9;22).
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Therapeutic option
• B-Curativeintent:
- Only allogenic bone marrow transplant .
• C_Classical approch(curative/palliative)
• Induction chemotherapy
• Consolidation of remission
• Maintenance chemotherapy
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LYMPHOMAS
• Lymphomas area group of diseases caused by malignant lymphocytes that
accumulate in lymph nodes and other lymphoid tissues and cause the clinical feature
of lymphadenopathy.
• They can be divided into Hodgkins lymphoma (HL) and non Hodgkins lymphoma
(NHL) based on the presence of Reed-Sternberg (RS) cells in Hodgkins lymphoma
• The most important of the NHL found in tropical Africa is the Burkitt's lymphoma It
is found mainly in children aged 4-9yrs as a solid tumour of the face and jaw or
abdomen. It is associated with Epstein Barr virus (EBV).
• RS cell is thought to be from the B cell lineage with abnormal synthesis of full length
immunoglobulin chain
• Severe Hodgkins lymphoma is also associated with Epstein-Barr virus but its role in
the pathogenesis is not clear.
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Clinical presentation andfindings
• Can present at any age but rare in children with peak incidence in young
adults
• Male to female predominance ratio is 2:1
• Common presentation is firm discrete lymphadenopathy superficial mainly of
the cervical area
• Starts with a single group of lymph nodes, weight loss, night sweats.
Lymphadenopathy may spread to other groups of nodes as the disease
progresses
• Constitutional symptoms are common in patients with widespread disease
and may include fever , pruritis , alcohol induced pain in areas where the
disease is present, weight loss, night sweats, weakness and fatigue.
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Laboratory findings
• Normocytic-normochromicanaemia
• In advanced disease bone marrow involvement may occur with bone
marrow failure
• One third of patients have neutrophilia, eosinophilia is frequent
• Advanced disease is associated with lymphopenia and loss of cell
mediated immunity
• Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is initially raised in 30-40% of cases
• The diagnosis is made by histological examination of excised lymph
node
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MULTIPLE MYELOMA
• Thisis a monoclonal proliferation of plasma cells (myeloma cells) in
bone marrow, arising from the malignant transformation of a B
lymphocyte
• The malignant plasma cells replace normal haemopoetic tissue,
destroy bone and secrete monoclonal ( single type) immunoglobulin
usually IgA or IgG referred to as paraprotein
• Most myelomas also produce immunoglobulin fragments ( light
chains or parts of heavy chains) Light chain fragments filter through
kidney glomeruli and can be found in the urine ( Bence Jones
proteins)
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Clinical presentation andfindings
• This is mainly a disease of the elderly , but in developing countries, it
is also found in those between 30-60yrs.
• Presents with anaemia, bone pain. May present with fracture ,renal
disease, thrombosis or haemorrhage.
• Laboratory findings will include
Normocytic normochromic anaemia,
 Raised ESR,
Bence Jones proteins is found in urine and
Plasma cells may be seen in PBF and Bone marrow films.
Editor's Notes
#9 Case History
On July 14, the pre-transplant conditioning began.
The first chemotherapy drug, Cytoxan, was pumped into me through the catheter.
I also swallowed daily doses of five giant gelatin capsules, each containing five tiny pills of the other chemo drug, busulfan.