A 34-year-old man presents with symptoms of fatigue, weakness, nose bleeds, and palpitations with exertion. On examination he is pale, blood pressure 110/70 mm Hg, pulse 100/min, heart sounds are normal, lungs are clear, and he has multiple petechiae and bruises on his legs. His blood count is abnormal: hemoglobin 8.5 g/dL, white blood cells (WBCs) 4000/mL, platelets 50,000/mL, and there are blast cells in the peripheral blood. He is diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia (AML-M3). Which of the following is a characteristic of this acute myelogenous leukemia?
(d) Source: (Lichtman, pp. 1186, 1192)Auer bodies are slender, pink, staining rods containing lysozyme, and are exclusively seen in AML. Although similar to normal azurophilic granules in content and staining properties, they are distinguished by their gigantic size. Special stains can enhance the detection of Auer bodies. They are only seen in a minority of cases. The Philadelphia chromosome is a feature of choric myelogenous leukemia (CML), and a high leukocyte alkaline phosphatase level is seen in patients with a high WBC due to a leukemoid reaction.
peak incidence in childhood
high leukocyte alkaline phosphatase
Philadelphia chromosome
Auer bodies in blast cells
Blood