What can be mistaken as leukemia?

Leukemia is commonly misdiagnosed as the following conditions: Influenza. Fever. Pathological fracture.

Can leukemia symptoms be something else?

Chronic leukemia symptoms can also involve infections, bleeding and fatigue. But they tend to develop more slowly than with acute leukemia cases, so they're not as noticeable. Symptoms are often attributed to other things, too, such as stress, allergies or a virus.

How often is leukemia misdiagnosed?

In fact, up to 1 in 5 cases of cancer may be initially misdiagnosed, according to ABCNews. Our attorneys have heard numerous horror stories from leukemia patients who describe traveling from specialist to specialist, often at great expense, only to have their disease misdiagnosed at every turn.

What autoimmune diseases can mimic leukemia?

How do you rule out leukemia?

By looking at a sample of your blood, your doctor can determine if you have abnormal levels of red or white blood cells or platelets — which may suggest leukemia. A blood test may also show the presence of leukemia cells, though not all types of leukemia cause the leukemia cells to circulate in the blood.

How is Leukemia Diagnosed?

When should you suspect leukemia?

If a person appears pale, has enlarged lymph nodes, swollen gums, an enlarged liver or spleen, significant bruising, bleeding, fever, persistent infections, fatigue, or a small pinpoint rash, the doctor should suspect leukemia. A blood test showing an abnormal white cell count may suggest the diagnosis.

What are the telltale signs of leukemia?

What would CBC look like with leukemia?

Complete blood count (CBC): This blood test lets your healthcare provider know if you have abnormal levels of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. If you have leukemia, you'll likely have higher than normal counts of white blood cells.

How do you confirm a diagnosis of leukemia?

How is leukemia diagnosed? A diagnosis of leukemia is usually made by analyzing a patient's blood sample through a complete blood count (CBC) or microscopic evaluation of the blood, or by using flow cytometry.

Can leukemia be missed in a CBC?

CBC is the most useful initial laboratory test in patients suspected of having leukemia. Most patients will show some abnormality in the CBC and some blasts will be seen in the peripheral smear in patients with acute leukemias. To diagnose CLL, a lymphocytosis of greater than 5000/mm³ must be present.

Can bloodwork miss leukemia?

In some cases, your doctor might order bone marrow testing even though your blood tests didn't indicate leukemia. That's because in some types of leukemia, cancer cells stay in the bone marrow and don't circulate in the blood.

Can you have leukemia with normal labs?

Acute leukemias — which are incredibly rare — are the most rapidly progressing cancer we know of. The white cells in the blood grow very quickly, over a matter of days to weeks. Sometimes a patient with acute leukemia has no symptoms or has normal blood work even a few weeks or months before the diagnosis.

Can you have leukemia with normal CBC?

The leukocytes count in ALL can be low, normal or high. The absence of “blasts” or “immature cells” in the CBC report do not exclude a diagnosis of acute leukemia.

What are red flags of leukemia?

Some symptoms, like night sweats, fever, fatigue and achiness, resemble flu-like symptoms. Unlike symptoms of the flu, which generally subside as you get better, leukemia symptoms generally last longer than two weeks, and may include sudden weight loss, bone and joint pain and easy bleeding or bruising.

Is it obvious if you have leukemia?

Many types of leukemia produce no obvious symptoms in the early stages. Eventually, symptoms may include any of the following: Anemia and related symptoms, such as fatigue, pallor, and a general feeling of illness.

Would you feel sick if you had leukemia?

Some leukemia symptoms, such as fever, vomiting, fatigue, aches and night sweats often resemble the cold, flu or other common illness. If symptoms don't go away at a normal pace (1-2 weeks), or you notice a combination of these symptoms at one time, make an appointment with your doctor for a diagnosis.

What would bloodwork look like for leukemia?

Understanding your blood count test results

If you have leukemia, your blood cells count will likely show higher than usual levels of white blood cells, which include leukemic cells. You may also have lower than usual red blood cell and platelet cell counts. If all three types are low, this is known as pancytopenia.

Where do leukemia bruises appear?

They occur in unusual places – In cases of leukaemia, quite often bruises will appear in places that you wouldn't normally expect, especially; the back, legs, and hands.

What clues on a CBC would make a doctor suspect leukemia?

Leukemia is most often diagnosed through a diagnostic test called a complete blood count (CBC). If a patient's CBC shows abnormal levels of white blood cells or abnormally low red blood cells or platelets, he or she has leukemia. The physician will then order a bone marrow biopsy to determine the type of leukemia.

What platelet count indicates leukemia?

platelet count over 100,000, but less than the normal range of 150,000.

Can you have leukemia with normal platelets?

Patients with ALL often present at the time of diagnosis with pancytopenia or bicytopenia but may sometimes have normal peripheral blood cell counts. The platelet series is the earliest and the most consistently decreased series in ALL cases at the time of diagnosis and even at the relapse phase.

Can you feel fine with leukemia?

Chronic leukemia often causes only a few symptoms or none at all. Signs and symptoms usually develop gradually. People with a chronic leukemia often complain that they just do not feel well.

What does early leukemia look like?

There are also a handful of general symptoms of leukemia that are less common. “Less common symptoms of leukemia include vomiting, aches in the arms, legs, or hips, pale skin, swollen gums or lymph nodes, and an enlarged spleen or liver,” Dr. Feiner said.

Where does leukemia usually begin?

Leukemia starts in the soft, inner part of the bones (bone marrow), but often moves quickly into the blood. It can then spread to other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, central nervous system and other organs.

How long can you have Leukaemia without knowing?

In CLL, the leukemia cells grow out of control and crowd out normal blood cells. These cells often build up slowly over time. Many people don't have any symptoms for at least a few years. In time, the cells can spread to other parts of the body, including the lymph nodes, liver, and spleen.