Acute Leukemia Panel - Comprehensive

Acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL) is a cancer of blood that origins in the bone marrow. It primarily affects the white blood cells produced in the soft inner part of your bones, i.e. bone marrow. The reason behind the disorder is the development of white blood cells (WBCs) from immature lymphocytes.

Since the condition is acute, it is apparent that it quickly escalates from mild to severe. Additionally, this condition is rare in adults but most commonly found in children. This makes it necessary to go for acute leukaemia screening to start early treatment for the disease.

If not taken care of properly, cancer might spread to other organs like the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes.

However, it is tough to capture these cancers without a proper acute leukaemia test as it does not produce noticeable tumours in the body.

The uncontrolled growth of cells occurs in white blood cells developing from immature lymphocytes, thereby making them dysfunctional.

Apollo 24|7 has a comprehensive panel for acute leukaemia screening, and one must notice the following symptoms before taking the ALL comprehensive test:

• Persistent weakness or tiredness in the body
• Unexplained fever with night sweats
• Bruising and bleeding are common and happen easily 
• Skin petechiae or tiny red dots under the skin that might happen due to superficial bleeding or bruising
• Swelling in the lymph nodes that might seem like painless lumps in the neck, underarms, or groin
• Frequent occurrence of infections in the body 
• Unusual weight loss and poor appetite
• Pain in the bone or stomach 
• Difficulty in breathing after doing minor physical activity

Acute leukaemia screening is quickly done using other tests, including CBC blood tests, physical examination, and coagulation tests. However, the ALL comprehensive test includes a detailed study of the blood component characteristics to confirm or rule out the disease.

Acute leukaemia screening involves flow cytometry tests and immunohistochemistry examinations.

These tests are based on the screening of surface antibodies that act as markers of the disease.

Healthcare practitioners can analyse the samples under the microscope and pass them through a special flow cytometry apparatus.

The ALL comprehensive test also assists in classifying the condition based on the type of surface marker present on the cell. Below is a brief procedure for the cytochemistry analysis:

• Mix the marker for an antibody with a fluorescent probe
• Incubate the mixture with blood or serum sample
• Inject them into the cell sorter that has a fluidics system
• Observe the cells under the optical system that illuminates the cells through fluorescence 
• Analyse the statistical data produced by the electronics system

The overall data is automatically sorted on its own and gives insight into the number of cells that contain the surface markers for acute leukaemia. While it is difficult to count the cells manually, the electronics system accurately analyses the number and confirms a positive or negative result.