How is acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) diagnosed?

Updated on

How is acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider evaluates your symptoms, reviews your medical history and does a physical exam. If they suspect ALL, they’ll order a complete blood count (CBC). Someone with ALL usually has:

  • High white blood cell count.
  • Low red blood cell count.
  • Thrombocytopenia (low platelet count).

Your healthcare provider may also do a bone marrow biopsy. They use needles to take samples of bone marrow fluid and a small piece of solid bone, usually from your hip bone. This is a small outpatient procedure usually done under local anesthesia. A pathologist examines the samples in a lab to check for ALL.

Other tests for ALL include:

  • Chromosome tests usually done in the bone marrow fluids.
  • Spinal tap (lumbar puncture).
  • Lymph node biopsy.

Imaging tests like MRIs or CT scans can be used if your healthcare providers think that the cancer has spread to other areas of your body. ALL can also cause organs like liver and spleen to get too big.

Related posts