Table 1.

Characteristics of leukemia subtypes

Leukemia subtypes	Characteristics
	Clinical features			Laboratory findings
	Age	Onset	Symptoms	Peripheral blood	Bone marrow
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia/ lymphoma	Most common hematological malignancy of children. Most common between 1 and 5 years of age and between 30 and 40 years	Abrupt	Bone marrow failure Extramedullary infiltration CNS involvement Testicular involvement	Total WBC count: Markedly raised, ranging from 20×109/L to 200×109/L	Markedly hypercellular due to proliferation of blasts
Acute myelogenous leukemia	May develop at any age, but is more common in adults	Abrupt	Bone marrow failure Extramedullary infiltration	Total WBC count: Markedly raised, ranging from 20×109/L to 100×109/L	Markedly hypercellular due to proliferation of blasts
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia	Between 50 and 60 years of age	Insidious	Fatigue, loss of weight and anorexia Generalized lymphadenopathy	Total leukocyte count is increased (20-50×109/L)	Hypercellular marrow due to infiltration by mature lymphocytes
Chronic myelogenous leukemia	Usually occurs between 40 and 60 years of age	Insidious	Fatigue, weakness, weight loss and anorexia Splenomegaly Hepatomegaly	Marked leukocytosis (12-600×109/L) Total leukocyte count usually exceeds 100×109/L Philadelphia chromosome	Markedly hypercellular due to myeloid hyperplasia Philadelphia chromosome

CNS – Central nervous system; WBC – White blood cell