Urgent care in hematology: acute promyelocytic leukemia: diagnostic principles

Abstract

A review of diagnosis of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is presented. There are still many patients with progressive disease with leukocytosis at presentation.

These are at greater risk of early death due to bleeding (often intracranial), or, less frequently, due to thrombotic complications

Keywords

• acute promyelocytic leukemia
• diagnostics
• morphology
• FAB classification
• WHO criteria
• faggot cells
• immunophenotype
• cytogenetics
• t(15
• 17)
• molecular biology
• fusi on genes
• PML/ RARalfa