Leukemia Blood Test
Leukemia Blood Test
Introduction
Leukemia refers to cancerous condition in your blood. This condition starts in your marrow, and causes a faster multiplication of your blood-cells. Such cells are not fully developed yet; they are very young and immature. People who get leukemia may turn more vulnerable to infections, feel tired and exhausted, experience pains in bones, increase in body temperature, etc.
The causes behind the onset of leukemia remain largely unknown. It is suspected that this autoimmune disorder occurs due to both environmental and genetic triggers. People who smoke, those with Down-syndrome, those who have had prior exposure to radiations of the ionising genre or earlier sittings of chemotherapy are at an added risk of getting leukemia.
There are different ways to diagnose the incidence of leukemia. Most commonly used diagnostic tools include biopsy of your bone marrow, tests on blood samples, etc. Treatment of leukemia involves a combination of multiple approaches. These include radiation treatment, chemotherapy, transplant of your bone marrow, targeted therapies, etc.
Blood test for leukemia
Onset of leukemia is often detected during a normal test done on blood samples, and such detection is mostly done prior to the start of characteristic symptoms. The typical tests done to confirm the presence of leukemia are a thorough physical examination, test on samples of blood, tests on your bone marrow, etc.
Of these, a careful physical examination is done to detect signs like paleness of skin, inflammation of lymph-nodes, enlarged size of spleen and liver. Your doctor may also ask a few queries about your appetite levels, food habits and activities you pursue each day. Another approach is to opt for a blood test for leukemia
Leukemia diagnosis blood test
Blood test for leukemia involves examining samples of blood. This microscopic evaluation can help find out abnormal counts of blood cells i.e., white cells, red cells as well as platelets. An abnormal count is indicative of a likely occurrence of leukemia. Beware of a few types of cancers which may show up without an abnormal count of blood-cells. This is chiefly because the increased count may not circulate inside your bloodstream; instead, they remain deep inside your marrow.
Apart from the blood test, your physician may order for a biopsy of a sample taken off your bone marrow. Here, samples of marrow – from the hipbone – is taken for the test. The removal of sample involves a thin, long needle, and the collected sample is then to the lab. A panel of tests are done on the sample (of bone marrow) to confirm the presence of leukemia cells
Leukemia blood test results
The lab-test done to count blood cells reveals a lot of details. The results can also show finer points about your general wellbeing. But – you may also need to remember that no to lab results fare at the same level. There is room for marginal differences in counts, from one lab to another.
Factors like gender, pregnancy as well as age also play a role in determining the count of your blood cells. For instance, women who are pregnant may have an increased count of white cells; one study showed an increase of as high as 35% during the time of pregnancy.
As per the Society of Leukemia and Lymphoma, if you are healthy, you are likely to have a count of 5,000 to 10,000 white cells per microliter of your bloodstream. There is a subtle difference between males and females. In case of males, normal range is defined as 5,000 to 10,000 white cells / mL. For females, this range is between 4,500 to 11,000 white cells / mL of blood.
Results of your blood test also reveals the white cell differentials; this helps to examine the counts in greater detail. The average / normal ranges are neutrophils (55% – 70%), lymphocytes (between 20% – 40%), monocytes (3 to 7%), eosinophils (1% to 4%), basophils (~ 0.5% to 0.9%) and younger neutrophils – up to 3%.
When the count of your blood cells are either below or above these normal ranges, it does not indicate leukemia. For instance, an abnormal count may be due to an immunity cells-based disease or owing to an infectious condition. But, people with acute version of lymphocytic leukemia may have a larger count of immature / younger white cells. These may not show up in your bloodstream though. Caveat: lymphocytic leukemia may trigger a sharp fall in count of platelets and red cells.
On the other hand, if you have a condition called a chronic spell of myelomonocytic leukemia, your test may reveal a larger count of monocytes along with an abnormally higher count of white cells
Leukemia cancer CBC blood test results
If you have leukemia, your white cells is of a higher count. This is due to the inclusion of leukemia cells in the count. The count of white cells and its differentials help give a break down of the 5 distinctive types of such cells.
Of these five types, neutrophils constitute the lion’s share of white cells. The number of neutrophils has a direct impact on how robust is your defense mechanism. In other words, a drop in the count of neutrophils can perhaps be one of the symptom of leukemia.
The next type of white cell is lymphocytes; this is very essential to your immune power and the responsiveness of immunity cells. An abnormal count of lymphocytes – either low or high – is indicative of likely onset of leukemia.
The third type of cells in this list is monocytes; these cells determine the swiftness of your immune cells’ responses to external risks / threats. Such cells play a pivotal role in identifying infections caused by virus(es).
Basophils and eosinophils are the other two types of white cells. Abnormal counts of such cells can be due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) like asthma, bronchitis or bronchial asthma; these may also vary due to onset of infectious conditions as well as allergies.
In essence, count of white cells and their differential values enable isolating the type of leukemia. This diagnosis is possible after assessing the kind of cells that are impacted as well as their counts as against other types of white cells.
Leukemia positive cancer blood test results
As per counts published by Society of Lymphoma and Leukemia, a healthy range of cells are of the following order: count of red cells fares between 4.8 million to 6 million per mL (for males). In case of females, the count fares between 4.3 million to 5.3 million. For younger people, red cell count is in between 4 – 5.5 million per mL.
Healthy range of white cells is 5,000 – 10,000 per mL in males; the same for females is between 4,500 – 11,000 per mL. In case of teens and children, this count is between 5,000 – 10,000. Another key parameter is hematocrit; the healthy range in this case is 43 percent – 51 percent (of full blood count) in males. In case of females, it is 38 percent – 46 percent of the total count. For children as well as teens, it is between 33 percent – 43 percent of the entire cell count of blood cells.
A healthy count of platelets is between 160,000 to 390,000 per mL of your blood. This count does not differ across gender or age groups. Leukemia positive cancer blood test results often show a very low or a very high count – as compared to other cells in your blood. For example, white cells differential is likely to reveal a strange slant towards white cells.
Leukemia positive cancer blood test results remain a reliable measure. These results determine the treatment potential and also influence the approach taken for treating your autoimmune condition. A condition called neutropenia indicates a fall in the count of neutrophils. Moreover, a condition called leukocytosis refers to a markedly higher count of white cells. This remains a widely accepted indicator of an onset of cancer in your marrow or the incidence of leukemia.
You need to remember that a higher white cell count is a direct indicator of an immune system-based disorder or of an infectious condition. Your treating doctor / caregiving team knows how to interpret the leukemia positive cancer blood test results. Your treatment plan is decided based on your age,, severity of the autoimmune problem, presence of other ailments – if any, pursuit of other treatment or dosage plans, etc. In this light, it is highly recommended to adhere to your oncologist’s instructions to treat your medical condition
Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D) from the University of Delhi Experience : Dr. Srinivasan is an experienced pharmacist with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Delhi and over 12 years in the field. She has worked extensively in clinical and community pharmacy settings, focusing on patient care, medication management, and drug safety. Dr. Srinivasan also contributes to health and wellness publications and serves as a consultant for pharmaceutical companies and healthcare organizations. Her expertise spans clinical practice, pharmaceutical writing, and regulatory affairs.