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Introduction
Measuring WBCs
Myeloid Leukemias
Lymphoid Leukemias
Sources
of Error
Quiz Please
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The basic terminology of leukemias.
How do the terms chronic
and acute apply to leukemia?
- These are historical
terms, coming from the early 1900's.
- A person with an "acute
" leukemia had a short course (weeks to just a few months). They died
quickly, it's that simple.
- A person with a "chronic
" leukemia had a longer course, dying in months or possibly a few years.
- The term "leukemia
" simply means white blood and refers to one of several things:
- the anemic appearance
of a blood sample of a person with leukemia, coupled with
- the increased
Buffy coat layer
on a centrifuged sample of blood from someone with a leukemia.
- Today's application
of acute and chronic:
- Acute leukemias
are characterized by the malignant proliferation of immature cells
known as blast cells.
- Chronic leukemias
are characterized by the proliferation of more mature cells, although
transformation to a more aggressive form is common.
Lymphogenous
and Myelogenous
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