Clinico-pathological study of leukemias

Background and objectives: Leukemias represent one of the most important problems in the field of haematology. Early diagnosis of various subtypes of leukemia and intervention has improved the prognosis and disease free survival. This is a clinicopathological study of leukemia undertaken at KIMS, Hubli, with the following objectives, • To study the pattern of leukemias in this part of North Karnataka. • To study clinical and haematological presentations of acute leukemias. • To ascertain the utility of cytochemistry in the diagnosis of acute leukemias. Methods: Clinical history of eighty leukemia patients was recorded. Peripheral smear examination was done and various haematological parameters were noted. Cytochemistry was done in all 37 cases, of acute leukemia using MPO, SBB and PAS stains. Interpretation and Conclusion: Leukemia is prevalent in this region of North Karnataka as in other parts of India. In almost all age groups and types of leukemias, males predominated. The commonest type of leukemia observed in this study was CML and CLL was less frequent. The presenting symptoms and clinical features of these patients were similar to those observed in other reported studies. While peripheral smear examination and bone marrow studies remain key to the diagnosis of leukemia, conventional cytochemical techniques need to be used for typing and subtyping of leukemias.