The Leukemias
By
Dr CK Mwandama
Department of Internal medicine,
University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka
29/06/17
Introduction
Definition
• The word leukemia literally means “white blood” referring to
neoplastic proliferation of white blood cells or leukocytes.
• Leukemias are haematologic neoplasms characterized by clonal
malignant proliferation of either mature white blood cells or their
precursors.
Lymphopoesis
Classification of leukemia
Leukemia
Morphologic
Lineage
Disease
Progression
Myeloid
Lymphoid
Acute
Chronic
Classification of Leukemia
• Leukemias are classified as lymphoid or myeloid, depending on the
affected progenitor stem cell type.
• Leukemias are also classified as acute or chronic depending on the
duration of evolution of the disease
Classification of leukemia
Leukaemias are classified in 4 major types
 Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL)
 Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)
 Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
 Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML)
Incidence Leukaemia
ALL
11%
CLL
26%
AML
31%
CML
15%
others
17%
CLL - Chronic Lymphocytic
ALL - Acute Lymphocytic
CML - Chronic Myelogenous
AML - Acute Myelogenous
Classification of leukemias
Acute Leukaemias
• In acute leukemias onset of disease is often abrupt, within weeks,
and death may occur within weeks to months without treatment.
• Typically, leukocyte development halts at the blast phase with most
leukocytes undifferentiated or blasts.
• In acute leukemia, the WBC may remain low because the cells are
halted at the blast stage
Classification of Leukemias
Chronic Leukaemias
• Onset is much slower, often over months or years.
• The majority of leukocytes are mature
• Typically manifest with very high WBC counts
Pathophysiology of Leukemia
Leukemias appears to result from a combination of factors
• genetic predisposition
• chromosomal changes
• chemical agents(benzene)
• chemotherapeutic agents.
• radiation
• immunocompromise
• viruses
Leukemogenesis &
Lymphomagenesis
Pathophysiology of Leukemias
Leukemogenesis is characterized by ;
• blockage of cell differentiation
• self-sustainable proliferation
• abnormal cell cycle progression
• impaired apoptosis
Pathophysiology of Leukemia
Genetic abnormalities identified in the propagation of leukemogenesis
include
 chromosomal translocations
 gene deletions
 Amplifications
 point mutations
Pathophysiology of Leukemia
Proto-oncogenes associated with leukemogenesis include
 ABL-Chronic myeloid leukemia
 N- Ras-Haematologic Malignancies
 FMS-Leukemia
 c-MYC- Burkitts Leukemia
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
 Characterized by presence of lymphoblasts in the bone marrow,
peripheral blood ,liver, spleen, lymph nodes and soft tissues
 Philadelphia chromosome positive(t9:22 translocation)
Classified into 3 stages
• L1: Small homogeneous blasts; mostly in children
• L2: Large heterogeneous blasts; mostly in adults
• L3: “Burkitt” large basophilic B-cell blasts with vacuoles
Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Characterized by uncontrolled proliferation of myeloblasts, hyperplasia
of bone marrow and spleen
FAB Classification
• M0 -- Undifferentiated AML
• M1 -- AML without maturation
• M2 -- AML with maturation
• M3 -- Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia
• M4 -- Acute Myelomonocytic Leukemia
• M5 -- Acute Monocytic Leukemia
• M6 -- Erythroleukemia (DiGuglielmo’s)
• M7 -- Megakaryoblastic Leukemia
Acute Myeloid Leukemia
WHO classification
• AML with recurrent cytogenic translocations
• AML with multi-lineage dysplasia
• AML and myelodysplasia, therapy related
• AML, not otherwise categorized
Chronic Myeloid leukemia
Disease Progression
Estimated Survival
Chronic Phase (CP) Accelerated Phase (AP) Blast Crisis (BC)
3 - 5 years 6 - 12 months 3 - 6 months
Chronic myeloid Leukemia
• Characterized by excessive development of mature neoplastic
granulocytes in the bone marrow and peripheral blood
• Ultimately infiltration into the liver and spleen
• Philadelphia chromosome(Ph) is present in up to 95% of patients
• Characterized by reciprocal translocation of long arm of
chromosomes 22 and chromosome 9
• Ph chromosome is almost specific to CML
Chronic myeloid Leukemia
• Abelson proto-oncogene (c-ABL) come into juxtaposition with the
“break point cluster region”(BCR) producing the BCR-ABL fusion
oncogene
• Resultant oncoprotein is a hyperactive tyrosine kinase
• Ph chromosome is also seen in ALL and chronic neutrophilic
leukemia
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
• Exclusive in elderly
• Hyper-mature lymphocytes with highly condensed nuclei
• Massive splenomegaly and Lymph node enlargement is noticeable
throughout the body
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
CLL is staged as follows
 Stage 0-Absolute lymphocyte count >15 000
 Stage 1-Absolute lymphocytosis with lymphadenopathy
 Stage 2-Absolute lymphocytosis with lymphadenopathy with
hepatomegaly and or splenomegaly
 Stage 3-Absolute lymphocytosis with lymphadenopathy with
hepatomegaly and or splenomegaly plus anaemia(Hb <11)
 Stage 4-Absolute lymphocytosis with lymphadenopathy with
hepatomegaly and or splenomegaly plus
thrombocytopenia(platelet count < 100 000)
Overall clinical features
Bone Marrow Failure
Anemia
Neutropenia
Thrombocytopenia
Infiltration
Leukemia meningitis Hepatosplenomegaly
Central nerve palsy Granulocytic sarcoma
Leukemic orchitis Lymphadenopathy
Hyperleukocytosis
Central nervous system leukostasis/stroke
Respiratory distress syndrome
Metabolic
Hypercalcemia Hyperphosphatemia
Hyperkalemia Hypercoagulation
Hyperuricemia Weight loss
Overall Clinical features
ALL AML CLL CML
Signs/Symptoms Fatigue, weight loss, night
sweats, bruising, bleeding
Fatigue, weight loss, night
sweats
White blood cell High/low High/low High High
Hemoglobin Normal/low Normal/low Normal/low Normal
Platelets Low Low Normal/high Normal/high
BM Blasts > 20% > 20% None 0-10%
Chronic Phase
Spleen/Liver May be
enlarged
Normal May be
enlarged
May be
enlarged
Approach to Diagnosis
• Medical history and physical
• CBC with differential
• Bone marrow biopsy and aspiration
• Chemistry panel
• Cytogenetics
• Immunophenotyping
Treatment of Acute Leukemia
Goals of treatment are as follows
 Induction therapy
Rapidly achieve complete response (CR)
 Consolidation therapy
Maintain CR
Eliminate clinically undetectable leukemia
Prevent/delay relapse
 Maintenance therapy
Eliminate residual leukemia
Prolong remission
 CNS therapy
Prevent relapse
Chemotherapy for Acute Leukemias
ALL AML
Class Agents Class Agents
Vinca Alkaloids Vincristine Anthracyclines Daunorubicin
Idarubicin
Corticosteroids Dexamethasone
Prednisone
Pyrimidine Analog Cytarabine
Anthracyclines Doxorubicin
Daunorubicin
Antimetabolite Hydroxyurea
Antimetabolite Methotrexate
Alkylator Cyclophosphamide
Enzyme L- Asparaginase
Chemotherapy for Chronic Leukemia
CLL CML
Class Agents Class Agents
Purine analog Fludarabine Tyrosine kinase
inhibitors
Imatinib, Dasatinib
Nilotinib
Steroids Methylprednisolone
Alkylators Cyclophosphamide,
Chlorambucil,
Bendamustine
Monoclonal
antibodies
Rituximab,
Alemtuzumab,
Ofatumumab
Bone Marrow /Stem cell transplant
Goals of this therapy are as follows
• Total myelosuppression of patient’s neoplastic BM
• Transplant an HLA-matched BM from any of the following
• Patient’s own stem cells removed before
• Identical twin
• Sibling
• Volunteer
Supportive care
• Isolation with total barrier nursing
• Blood and platelets transfusion
• Antibiotic cover
• G-CSF
• Anti-emetics
• Prevention of tumor lysis syndrome
References
• Oxford Handbook of Clinical Haematology,
2nd Edition
• Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine, 9th
Edition
END!!!
Questions??

leukemia.pptx

  • 1.
    The Leukemias By Dr CKMwandama Department of Internal medicine, University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka 29/06/17
  • 2.
    Introduction Definition • The wordleukemia literally means “white blood” referring to neoplastic proliferation of white blood cells or leukocytes. • Leukemias are haematologic neoplasms characterized by clonal malignant proliferation of either mature white blood cells or their precursors.
  • 3.
  • 4.
  • 5.
    Classification of Leukemia •Leukemias are classified as lymphoid or myeloid, depending on the affected progenitor stem cell type. • Leukemias are also classified as acute or chronic depending on the duration of evolution of the disease
  • 6.
    Classification of leukemia Leukaemiasare classified in 4 major types  Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL)  Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)  Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)  Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML)
  • 7.
    Incidence Leukaemia ALL 11% CLL 26% AML 31% CML 15% others 17% CLL -Chronic Lymphocytic ALL - Acute Lymphocytic CML - Chronic Myelogenous AML - Acute Myelogenous
  • 8.
    Classification of leukemias AcuteLeukaemias • In acute leukemias onset of disease is often abrupt, within weeks, and death may occur within weeks to months without treatment. • Typically, leukocyte development halts at the blast phase with most leukocytes undifferentiated or blasts. • In acute leukemia, the WBC may remain low because the cells are halted at the blast stage
  • 9.
    Classification of Leukemias ChronicLeukaemias • Onset is much slower, often over months or years. • The majority of leukocytes are mature • Typically manifest with very high WBC counts
  • 10.
    Pathophysiology of Leukemia Leukemiasappears to result from a combination of factors • genetic predisposition • chromosomal changes • chemical agents(benzene) • chemotherapeutic agents. • radiation • immunocompromise • viruses
  • 11.
  • 12.
    Pathophysiology of Leukemias Leukemogenesisis characterized by ; • blockage of cell differentiation • self-sustainable proliferation • abnormal cell cycle progression • impaired apoptosis
  • 13.
    Pathophysiology of Leukemia Geneticabnormalities identified in the propagation of leukemogenesis include  chromosomal translocations  gene deletions  Amplifications  point mutations
  • 14.
    Pathophysiology of Leukemia Proto-oncogenesassociated with leukemogenesis include  ABL-Chronic myeloid leukemia  N- Ras-Haematologic Malignancies  FMS-Leukemia  c-MYC- Burkitts Leukemia
  • 15.
    Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Characterized by presence of lymphoblasts in the bone marrow, peripheral blood ,liver, spleen, lymph nodes and soft tissues  Philadelphia chromosome positive(t9:22 translocation) Classified into 3 stages • L1: Small homogeneous blasts; mostly in children • L2: Large heterogeneous blasts; mostly in adults • L3: “Burkitt” large basophilic B-cell blasts with vacuoles
  • 16.
    Acute Myeloid Leukemia Characterizedby uncontrolled proliferation of myeloblasts, hyperplasia of bone marrow and spleen FAB Classification • M0 -- Undifferentiated AML • M1 -- AML without maturation • M2 -- AML with maturation • M3 -- Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia • M4 -- Acute Myelomonocytic Leukemia • M5 -- Acute Monocytic Leukemia • M6 -- Erythroleukemia (DiGuglielmo’s) • M7 -- Megakaryoblastic Leukemia
  • 17.
    Acute Myeloid Leukemia WHOclassification • AML with recurrent cytogenic translocations • AML with multi-lineage dysplasia • AML and myelodysplasia, therapy related • AML, not otherwise categorized
  • 18.
    Chronic Myeloid leukemia DiseaseProgression Estimated Survival Chronic Phase (CP) Accelerated Phase (AP) Blast Crisis (BC) 3 - 5 years 6 - 12 months 3 - 6 months
  • 19.
    Chronic myeloid Leukemia •Characterized by excessive development of mature neoplastic granulocytes in the bone marrow and peripheral blood • Ultimately infiltration into the liver and spleen • Philadelphia chromosome(Ph) is present in up to 95% of patients • Characterized by reciprocal translocation of long arm of chromosomes 22 and chromosome 9 • Ph chromosome is almost specific to CML
  • 20.
    Chronic myeloid Leukemia •Abelson proto-oncogene (c-ABL) come into juxtaposition with the “break point cluster region”(BCR) producing the BCR-ABL fusion oncogene • Resultant oncoprotein is a hyperactive tyrosine kinase • Ph chromosome is also seen in ALL and chronic neutrophilic leukemia
  • 21.
    Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia •Exclusive in elderly • Hyper-mature lymphocytes with highly condensed nuclei • Massive splenomegaly and Lymph node enlargement is noticeable throughout the body
  • 22.
    Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia CLLis staged as follows  Stage 0-Absolute lymphocyte count >15 000  Stage 1-Absolute lymphocytosis with lymphadenopathy  Stage 2-Absolute lymphocytosis with lymphadenopathy with hepatomegaly and or splenomegaly  Stage 3-Absolute lymphocytosis with lymphadenopathy with hepatomegaly and or splenomegaly plus anaemia(Hb <11)  Stage 4-Absolute lymphocytosis with lymphadenopathy with hepatomegaly and or splenomegaly plus thrombocytopenia(platelet count < 100 000)
  • 23.
    Overall clinical features BoneMarrow Failure Anemia Neutropenia Thrombocytopenia Infiltration Leukemia meningitis Hepatosplenomegaly Central nerve palsy Granulocytic sarcoma Leukemic orchitis Lymphadenopathy Hyperleukocytosis Central nervous system leukostasis/stroke Respiratory distress syndrome Metabolic Hypercalcemia Hyperphosphatemia Hyperkalemia Hypercoagulation Hyperuricemia Weight loss
  • 24.
    Overall Clinical features ALLAML CLL CML Signs/Symptoms Fatigue, weight loss, night sweats, bruising, bleeding Fatigue, weight loss, night sweats White blood cell High/low High/low High High Hemoglobin Normal/low Normal/low Normal/low Normal Platelets Low Low Normal/high Normal/high BM Blasts > 20% > 20% None 0-10% Chronic Phase Spleen/Liver May be enlarged Normal May be enlarged May be enlarged
  • 25.
    Approach to Diagnosis •Medical history and physical • CBC with differential • Bone marrow biopsy and aspiration • Chemistry panel • Cytogenetics • Immunophenotyping
  • 26.
    Treatment of AcuteLeukemia Goals of treatment are as follows  Induction therapy Rapidly achieve complete response (CR)  Consolidation therapy Maintain CR Eliminate clinically undetectable leukemia Prevent/delay relapse  Maintenance therapy Eliminate residual leukemia Prolong remission  CNS therapy Prevent relapse
  • 27.
    Chemotherapy for AcuteLeukemias ALL AML Class Agents Class Agents Vinca Alkaloids Vincristine Anthracyclines Daunorubicin Idarubicin Corticosteroids Dexamethasone Prednisone Pyrimidine Analog Cytarabine Anthracyclines Doxorubicin Daunorubicin Antimetabolite Hydroxyurea Antimetabolite Methotrexate Alkylator Cyclophosphamide Enzyme L- Asparaginase
  • 28.
    Chemotherapy for ChronicLeukemia CLL CML Class Agents Class Agents Purine analog Fludarabine Tyrosine kinase inhibitors Imatinib, Dasatinib Nilotinib Steroids Methylprednisolone Alkylators Cyclophosphamide, Chlorambucil, Bendamustine Monoclonal antibodies Rituximab, Alemtuzumab, Ofatumumab
  • 29.
    Bone Marrow /Stemcell transplant Goals of this therapy are as follows • Total myelosuppression of patient’s neoplastic BM • Transplant an HLA-matched BM from any of the following • Patient’s own stem cells removed before • Identical twin • Sibling • Volunteer
  • 30.
    Supportive care • Isolationwith total barrier nursing • Blood and platelets transfusion • Antibiotic cover • G-CSF • Anti-emetics • Prevention of tumor lysis syndrome
  • 31.
    References • Oxford Handbookof Clinical Haematology, 2nd Edition • Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine, 9th Edition
  • 32.