2. Brief overview of the haematological system
Leukaemias
Lymphomas
Myelomas and other paraproteinaemias
SBAs
4. Patients present with pancytopaenia
Symptoms of anaemia
Infections
Bleeding
NB AML M3 presents with DIC!
Diagnosis to death 6-12 weeks if untreated
Chemosensitive
Best initial test is blood smear
Blast cells present
WCC can be low, normal or high
6. Patients present more insidiously
SBA tip – if patient presents at a ‘routine check-up’
answer is much more likely to be chronic leukaemia
Less likely to present with pancytopaenia
Diagnosis to death 6-12 years if untreated
Less chemosensitive
Best initial test is full blood count
WCC always high
Look at white cell differential
‘Smudge’ cells in CLL on smear
19. •Imaging
-CXR, CT (pneumonia, mediastinal mass, lytic
bone lesions)
•BM biopsy
-Flow cytometry, cytogenetics and
immunohistochemistry
->30% blasts
20. Also known as ‘lymphocytic’.
Epidemiology
•Incidence = 1/50,000. Slight male predominance.
•Commonest type of childhood leukaemia (70%)
•Peak age 2-5 years, but later increase >50.
22. Findings specific for ALL
•Examination
-Lymphadenopathy
-Splenomegaly (10-20% presentation)
-CNS signs- more likely
•Bloods
-Anaemia- usually severe, signs present
-WBCs- variable, usually neutropenia
-Smear- smallish basophilic blasts, few
granules, hand-mirror cells
-Clotting- 10% ALL presents with DIC
•Imaging
-Mediastinal mass in some T cell ALL
24. Also known as ‘myelogenous’.
Epidemiology
•Incidence = 3.7/100,000. Slight male
predominance.
•Commonest type of adult leukaemia (90%)
•Can occur at any age but median is 70 years
26. Findings specific for AML
•Examination
-Lymphadenopathy unusual
-Leukaemia cutis (10%), chloroma (rare)
•Bloods
-Anaemia- usually severe, signs present
-WBCs- variable, usually neutropenia
-Smear- Auer rods in large hypergranular
myeloblasts
-Hypokalaemia in monocytic leukaemia
-Clotting- DIC commoner in acute promyelocytic
leukaemia (M3)
31. Prognosis of acute leukaemia
5 year survival rates
•ALL
-Children- 75%
-Adults- 40%
-Worse if <1 or >60, high WBC, >4w to
remission
•AML
-30-50%
-Better if BM Tx, children, worse if >60
Prognosis of acute leukaemia
5 year survival rates
•ALL
-Children- 75%
-Adults- 40%
-Worse if <1 or >60, high WBC, >4w to
remission
•AML
-30-50%
-Better if BM Tx, children, worse if >60
35. 98% develop from B cells.
Epidemiology
•Incidence = 4.2/100,000. Slight male
predominance.
•Most common form of leukaemia in the West
•Usually >55, median age 72, rare <40.
37. Findings specific for CLL
Usually asymptomatic!
• Examination
-Lymphadenopathy/splenomegaly present in
late disease.
• Bloods
-WBCs- extremely high
-Smear- lymphocytosis with ‘smudge/basketball
cells’
• Other
-Richter’s syndrome
-Prolymphocytic transformation
39. Stepped-up production of granulocytes and their
precursors and failed apoptosis leads to insidious
progression towards a blast crisis.
Epidemiology
•Incidence= 0.6-2/100,000
•Can occur at any age but rare in children. Peak
incidence at 40-60
•Less common than AML, CLL
40. Pathophysiology
95% involve t(9;22)(q34;q11) translocation,
resulting in the Philadelphia chromosome. This
forms a fusion gene- BCR-ABL1 with constitutively
active tyrosine kinase activity.
41. Findings specific for CML
Usually asymptomatic!
•Examination
-Splenomegaly- may be only feature at latent
phase, massive later on
•Bloods
-Anaemia- mild, worsens with progression
-WBCs- extremely high
-Smear- leukocytosis with granulocyte left-shift
43. Treatment of chronic leukaemia
CLL
•Watchful waiting with regular monitoring
•Chemotherapy. Indications:
-Severe systemic symptoms
-Non-pred-responsive AI
anaemia/thrombocytopenia
-Progressive splenomegaly/lymphadenopathy
-Increased WBC/reduced ‘doubling time’
Treatment of chronic leukaemia
44. CML
•Imatinib
-Tyrosine kinase inhibitor, targets BCR-ABL1.
Greatly increases 5 year survival compared to
older drug therapies
-Initial treatment, continued indefinitely if optimal
response.
46. Prognosis of chronic leukaemiaPrognosis of chronic leukaemia
•CLL
-Binet Staging
-Median approx. 10 years with terminal
progressive phase for 1-2 years
•CML
-Overall 5 year survival with imatinib now 89%
(or more?)
BM transplant is the only curative therapy
47. Acute Chronic
Lymphocytic Myelocytic Lymphocytic Myelocytic
Age Childhood Any Middle/Old Middle
Raised WBC
+/- +/- ++ ++
Anaemia
++ ++ +/- +
Thrombocytopenia
+ + +/- -
Lymphadenopathy
+ +/- + -
Splenomegaly
+ +/- + ++
Other CNS
involvement
Maintenance
required
Hand mirror
cells
Auer rods
APL
Leukaemia
cutis
Haemolytic
anaemia
Hypogammagl
obulinaemia
Smudge cells
Low ALP
Ph
chromosom
e targeted
by imatinib
Blast phase
48. Non leukaemic malignancies
Polycythaemia vera
Essential thrombocythaemia
Mastocytosis
Form part of a spectrum with CML
All are closely related to each other
Associated with JAK2 mutations
51. Clinical features
Night sweats
Hyperviscosity symptoms
Pruritus after a hot bath
Plethoric face
Splenomegaly
Haemorrhage
Hypertension
Gout
52. Important lab features
Increased Hb, HCT, Red cell mass
Low serum EPO
JAK2 mutation in 95%
Treatment
Venesection
Cytotoxic myelosuppression
Hydroxyurea
Busulphan
56. Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Originates from B cells in the germinal centres of
lymphoid tissue and is characterised by orderly
spread from one LN group to another.
Epidemiology
•Incidence = 2.2/100,000, 30% of all lymphoma
•Bimodal distribution with peaks at 15-30 and >50
years
•Slight male predominance
57. Risk factors
•Acquired
-HIV/AIDS- increases with CD4 count
-Previous non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
-Autoimmune conditions
•Inherited
-Immune defects
-Family history of H/non-H lymphoma, CLL
59. Presentation
•Painless non-tender rubbery enlarged LN
-Cervical involvement in 60-70%, axillary in 10-
15%, inguinal in 6-12%
-May increase/decrease in size spontaneously
-May become ‘matted’ and non-mobile
-Contiguous progression to nearby groups
-Alcohol-induced pain
•Systemic symptoms
-Especially fever (30%), may be cyclic
-And severe pruritis (25%)
•Other
-Early satiety due to splenomegaly
65. Treatment
Definitive
•IA/IIA
-Radiotherapy alone- affected nodes and
prophylatically
-Chemo with radiotherapy of affected nodes
•IB/IIB/III/IV
-Chemo
•BM transplant
-If still progressive despite chemo or after
induction of remission after relapse
66. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
A heterogeneous group of lymphoid tumours,
mostly of B cell origin. Characterised by irregular
pattern of spread and common extranodal disease,
they vary in their aggressiveness.
Epidemiology
•Incidence = 17/100,000
•Median age is >50
•Diffuse large B cell and follicular commonest
67. Risk factors
•Acquired
-Infection e.g. EBV (Burkitt’s, sinonasal), HTLV-1
(T cell), HCV, HHV8 (Kaposi’s), H. pylori (gastric
MALT)
-Previous chemotherapy/Hodgkin’s
-Autoimmune disorders e.g. Sjogren’s,
Hashimoto’s
-Immunodeficiency e.g. post-transplant, HIV/AIDS
•Inherited
72. Treatment
•Low grade
-Localised (rare)- radiotherapy, surgery
-Disseminated- watch and wait or chemo when
symptomatic/organ dysfunction
-Gastric MALT- associated with H pylori,
antibiotic therapy curative in 90%
•High grade
-Aggressive chemo e.g. CHOP
-Maintenance not needed
-Allogenic stem cell transplantation
-CNS prophylaxis in very high grade e.g.
Burkitt’s
73. Prognosis of lymphoma
5 year survival rates
•Hodgkin’s- highly curable
-I/II- 90%
-IV- 65%
-Long-term sequelae of treatment
•Non-Hodgkin’s- vary widely (see IPI)
-Overall 63%
-Indolent follicular lymphoma I/II- 91% but may
not be curable
-DLBLC- curable with aggressive chemo
75. Presdisposing factors
Radiation
Benzene
Pesticides
Epidemiology
4 per 100,000 per year
Median age 66 years
Pathophysiology
Post germinal centre B cell proliferation
Monoclonal antibody
87. FBC and film
ESR
Urine dipstick
24 hour urine collection
U&Es
Urate
Albumin, calcium, phosphate, ALP
Serum and urinary electrophoresis
Serum Ig
X-ray
88. 1. Production of a single monoclonal antibody
(paraprotein)
‘M’ band in γglobulin region on serum/ urine
electrophoresis
2.Increased clonal plasma cells in the bone
marrow
>20% monoclonal plasma cells on bone marrow
biopsy
3. Evidence of organ damage (‘CRAB HAI’)
90. Prognosis
MM remains an incurable disease
Mean survival 3-4 yrs from diagnosis
Treatment
Specific
Supportive
91. Intensive or non intensive
Intensive if <65
Non intensive if >65
Intensive
4-6 cycles chemotherapy
Cyclophosphamide, dexamethasone, thalidomide
THEN autologous stem cell collection and transplant
Non-intensive
Chemo: Melphalan and cyclophosphamide
93. Post germinal centre B cell proliferation
Monoclonal antibody/ paraprotein production
M Band
BJP
>20% monoclonal plasma cells in BM
‘CRAB HAI’
Specific and supportive treatment
Outcome still poor
94. Often discovered incidentally in elderly
Benign
Characterised by:
Low levels of paraprotein, normal levels of Ig
<10% plasma cells in bone marrow
Absence of lytic bone lesions
Absent/minimal urinary BJP
Absence of end organ damage associated with MM
1% per year develop MM
95. Lymphoplasmacytoid proliferation
Similarities with CLL
IgM paraprotein
Plasma viscosity
Organomegaly and lymphadenopathy more
common than in MM
No end organ damage (cf MM)
97. A 66 year old man has a FBC done whilst being
tested for hypercholesterolaemia and was found
to have a WBC of 15.4x109
/L with the rest of the
count otherwise normal. The most likely
diagnosis is:
a)Infectious mononucleosis
b)CMV infection
c)ALL
d)Pertussis
e)Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia
e)
98. A 46 year old woman presents with weight loss and
abdominal enlargement. She has also noticed
she is sweating more than normal and her
temperature is 38C. She is found to have
hepatosplenomegaly (liver 2cm below RCM,
spleen 6cm below LCM). Lymph nodes are not
enlarged. FBC shows: WBC 98x109
/L, Hb 8.3g/L,
Plts 504x109
/L.
A blood smear was performed.
100. The blood smear shows increased numbers of
neutrophils, eosinophils and basophils. In
addition, there are increased numbers of
promyelocytes (but infrequent blast cells). What
is the optimum treatment for this patient?
a)Allogenic stem cell transplantation
b)Combination chemo
c)Imatinib
d)Blood transfusion to relieve symptoms
e)Rifampicin and isoniazid
c) (CML)
101. Acute Chronic
Lymphocytic Myelocytic Lymphocytic Myelocytic
Age Childhood Any Middle/Old Middle
Raised WBC
+/- +/- ++ ++
Anaemia
++ ++ +/- +
Thrombocytopenia
+ + +/- -
Lymphadenopathy
+ +/- + -
Splenomegaly
+ +/- + ++
Other CNS
involvement
Maintenance
required
Hand mirror
cells
Auer rods
APL
Leukaemia
cutis
Haemolytic
anaemia
Hypogammagl
obulinaemia
Smudge cells
Low ALP
Ph
chromosom
e targeted
by imatinib
Blast phase
102. Which ONE of these is the most likely clinical
presentation of a child with acute lymphoblastic
leukaemia?
a) A 6 month history of fatigue and repeated upper
respiratory tract infection
b) Poor appetite and abdominal pain resulting from
swollen spleen
c) Swollen gums in the mouth
d) Recent history of bruising and tiredness
e) None- incidental finding
d) Anaemia and thrombocytopenia common
103. Acute Chronic
Lymphocytic Myelocytic Lymphocytic Myelocytic
Age Childhood Any Middle/Old Middle
Raised WBC
+/- +/- ++ ++
Anaemia
++ ++ +/- +
Thrombocytopenia
+ + +/- -
Lymphadenopathy
+ +/- + -
Splenomegaly
+ +/- + ++
Other CNS
involvement
Maintenance
required
Hand mirror
cells
Auer rods
APL
Leukaemia
cutis
Haemolytic
anaemia
Hypogammagl
obulinaemia
Smudge cells
Low ALP
Ph
chromosom
e targeted
by imatinib
Blast phase
104. A 67 year old lady is found to have an Hb of
18.9g/dL. Her erythropoeitin level is markedly
raised. Which of the following is the least likely
diagnosis?
A) COPD
B) Eisenmenger’s syndrome
C) Polycythaemia vera
D) Renal cell carcinoma
E) Nepalese woman living at high altitude
105. A 67 year old lady is found to have an Hb of
18.9g/dL. Her erythropoeitin level is markedly
raised. Which of the following is the least likely
diagnosis?
A) COPD
B) Eisenmenger’s syndrome
C) Polycythaemia vera
D) Renal cell carcinoma
E) Nepalese woman living at high altitude
106. Which ONE of these is NOT TRUE regarding the
Reed-Sternberg cell in Hodgkin’s lymphoma?
a) It is thought to be of B cell lineage‐
b) It is multinucleate
c) It represents the majority of cells in a lymph
node of Hodgkin's lymphoma
d) It usually expresses CD15 and CD30
e) Their absence has a high negative predictive
value
c) Near-pathogonomic but in the minority of cells
107. A 6 year old boy from Kenya develops swelling of
the jaw. The mass responds rapidly to
chemotherapy. What is the most likely diagnosis?
a) Burkitt's lymphoma
b) Follicular lymphoma
c) Mycosis fungoides
d) Lymphoblastic lymphoma
e) Enteropathy-associated T cell lymphoma
a) Burkitt’s lymphoma occurs in the context of
chronic malaria infection causing reduced immunity
to EBV. Also associated with AIDS.
108. A 59 year old man receiving chemotherapy for
Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma develops painful
haematuria. Which of the following is the most
likely cause of his symptoms?
A) Rituximab
B) Cyclophosphamide
C) Adriamycin (doxorubicin/ hydroxydaunarubicin)
D) Vincristine (oncovin)
E) Prednisolone
109. A 59 year old man receiving chemotherapy for
Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma develops painful
haematuria. Which of the following is the most
likely cause of his symptoms?
A) Rituximab
B) Cyclophosphamide
C) Adriamycin (doxorubicin/ hydroxydaunarubicin)
D) Vincristine (oncovin)
E) Prednisolone
111. A 63 year old woman is about to commence
chemotherapy for treatment of MM. Which of
the following medications should she be
started on prior to chemotherapy?
A) Colchicine
B) Dexamethasone
C) Diclofenac
D) Allopurinol
E) Hydroxychloroquine
112. A 63 year old woman is about to commence
chemotherapy for treatment of MM. Which of
the following medications should she be
started on prior to chemotherapy?
A) Colchicine
B) Dexamethasone
C) Diclofenac
D) Allopurinol
E) Hydroxychloroquine
113. Malignant cells release intracellular contents
after the first dose of chemotherapy
Hyperkalaemia
Hyperuricaemia
Renal failure
Allopurinol inhibits xanthine oxidase and prevents
hyperuricaemia
Large volumes of fluid should be given pre-chemo to
prevent renal failure
114. Which one of the following is not consistent
with a diagnosis of MGUS?
A) normal urinalysis
B) normal renal function
C) 20% plasma cells in bone marrow
D) Normochromic, normocytic anaemia with
Rouleaux formations
E) Absence of lytic bone lesions
115. Which one of the following is not consistent
with a diagnosis of MGUS?
A) normal urinalysis
B) normal renal function
C) 20% plasma cells in bone marrow
D) Normochromic, normocytic anaemia with
Rouleaux formations
E) Absence of lytic bone lesions
116. A patient has a sharp M band on serum
electrophoresis. Which of the following is least
consistent with this result?
A) IgG MM
B) Waldenstrom’ macroglobulinaemia
C) AA amyloidosis
D) MGUS
E) CLL
117. A patient has a sharp M band on serum
electrophoresis. Which of the following is least
consistent with this result?
A) IgG MM
B) Waldenstrom’ macroglobulinaemia
C) AA amyloidosis
D) MGUS
E) CLL
118. Brief overview of the haematological system
Leukaemias
Lymphomas
Myelomas and other paraproteinaemias
SBAs
In reality it may not be possible to reliably distinguish lymphoblastic vs myeloid apart purely on presentation .However! We’ll teach you things which are more common in each to help you make an educated guess for SBAs.
Normal BM.
CLL- hypercellularity, increased uniformity- small round cells, little variation.
Usual suspects e.g. radiation, benzene exposure (find a more comprehensive list on the handout) but importantly- being treated for leukaemia can make you more prone to getting leukaemia! Other haematological conditions that may involve ‘one hit’ or some degree of abnormal cell differentiation e.g. myelodysplasia can be viewed as ‘pre cancerous condition’ where impairment of differentiation leads to reduced production of RBC WBC Plts and develops into AML in 1/3 of cases.
Acquired
-Babies in nursery/day care have increased incidence of ALL
-Downs- x20 risk of ALL
Things to look for in examination:
CV- make sure healthy! Some drugs cardiotoxic (anthracyclines). Flow murmur in anaemia
Resp- T-cell- mediastinal mass, infection
Abdo- Splenomegaly
Neuro- CNS involvement- headache, irritability, altered mental status, neck stiffness (cranial nerve III, IV, VI, VIII palsy in mature B-cell ALL)
Other- bruising, bleeding, temperature, lymphadenopathy, gum hypertrophy, skin infiltration
FBC- Failure of production of three types or, increased WBC (commoner in chronic). Neutropenia can occur regardless of high lymphocytes so a high white cell count doesn’t rule this out.
Clotting screen- 10% ALL present with DIC
U&Es- hyperuricaemia if large tumour burden-&gt; renal failure
LDH usually raised due to increased cell turnover, also prognostic factor
Mediastinal mass in some T cell ALL
Pneumonia due to neutropenia
BM biopsy
FAB- French-American-British. WHO use 20% instead.
Flow cytometry/cytogenetics- establish cell type (new WHO classification- B cell vs T cell, early B-precursor, pre-B cell, B cell) and translocation- targeted therapies, prognosis e.g. Philadelphia chromosome = bad, usually in adults, BCR-ABL may identify ALL arising from CML
In adults, AML is commoner.
TEL-AML1 common in B-cell precursor ALL
ALL concordant in 25% monozygotic twins within a year of first diagnosis. X4 increased risk in dizygotic twins
In adults, AML is commoner. Male predominance increases with age.
Chloroma/myeloid- extra BM collection of myeloid leukaemia cells, overlap with leukaemia cutis, meningeal leukaemia, can be anywhere! Gum infiltration may occur
Hypokalaemia- lysozyme secretion affecting tubular activity
CNS prophylaxis according to risk.
Tumour lysis syndrome- particularly if high tumour burden
Causes: hyperkalaemia, hyperphosphataemia, hyperuraemia, hypocalcaemia uric acid nephropathy and renal failure
Induction- aim to get into remission (&lt;5% blasts in BM, normal blood cells, no blasts in blood, no symptoms/signs of disease)
Quadruple therapy- high-risk paeds and adult
BM Tx- e.g. Philadelphia chromosome in ALL, poor response to initial treatment, relapse in high risk ALL. Autologous or allogenic (latter better) but only 25% will have matched relative.
Acquired
-Babies in nursery/day care have increased incidence of ALL
Inherited
-Fanconi anaemia- defect in DNA repair, majority get ca
-Downs- x20 risk of ALL
In adults, AML is commoner.
May transform to high-grade lymphoma (Richter’s syndrome) a complication of B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or hairy cell leukemia (HCL) in which the leukemia changes into a fast-growingdiffuse large B cell lymphoma. 5% of all CLL
Prolymphocytic transformation- increased numbers of circulating prolymphocytes, may be refractory to treatment.
In adults, AML is commoner.
Usually seen on karyotyping but can also be observed on FISH if this is difficult. Ph chromosome occasionally seen in ALL (=bad!) and even more rarely AML.
More banded (immature) neutrophils- left shift. Must be differentiated from leukmoid reaction (i.e. physiological reaction to stress, infection).
Severe systemic symptoms include &lt;10% weight loss, extreme fatigue, fever, night sweats
Monoclonal use still in early stages, different responses according to specific cytogenetics e.g. alemtuzumab in p53 mutations for clearing BM
BM transplantation in young patients, but delay until development of refractory disease worsens outcome.
BM Tx may still be important in younger individuals or with HLA-identical siblings. Ideally in chronic phase.
CLL- Monoclonal use still in early stages, different responses according to specific cytogenetics e.g. alemtuzumab in p53 mutations for clearing BM
BM transplantation in young patients, but delay until development of refractory disease worsens outcome.
CML- Role post-imatinib? In younger patients, ideally in chronic phase for up to 60% 10 year survival rates. BM Tx may still be important in younger individuals or with HLA-identical siblings. Ideally in chronic phase.
Median survival with old drugs 4-5 years, now doubled with imatinib. Worse if Ph-ve
At presentation!
The type of cell (how differentiated) they originate from. Can transform from one to the other- a continuum. But lymphoma usually initially populates LN, spleen etc. Lymphoma- LN origin, forming tumour mass
Leukaemia- BM origin, manifest in peripheral blood
But it’s not always easy to distinguish the two!
AI conditions e.g. Sjorgren’s- non-H lymphoma- salivary extranodal marginal zone B cell lymphomas (MALT lymphomas in the salivary glands) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, increased in NHL generally in AI like RA, sarcoid, IBD,
Consitutitive activation of NF-kB, role of EBV?
Other symptoms:
Rash
-Cutaneous involvement, only as late complication
Abdominal pain, early satiety
-Splenomegaly but unusual as rarely massive
Shortness of breath, pleuritic chest pain, SVC syndrome
-Mediastinal involvement, pleural effusion, especially nodular sclerosing type
Evidence of BM failure on bloods (e.g. anaemia, lymphopenia) is prognostic- bad!
Bx especially if elderly, advanced stage, systemic symptoms or high-risk histology (i.e. select stage II and above)
Be sure it’s not carcinoma! Excision biopsy can promote spread. Core biopsy may be acceptable but important to examine architecture.
Mixed cellularity subtype-
Numerous R-S cells, mixed inflammatory background, obliteration of normal architecture
Fertility e.g. sperm cyropreservation, embyro banking
Cardiac function- many agents cardiotoxic especially anthracyclins like doxorubicin
Respiratory function- bleomycin causes RPD
Allopurinol/uricase for tumour lysis syndrome
Others, as indicated (see leukaemias slide
Typical chemo regimen ABVD
Adriamycin (doxorubicin/Hydroxydaunorubicin, the H in CHOP)
bleomycin
vinblastine
dacarbazine
Surgery not really used.
Infection- direct transformation e.g. EBV, HTLV-1, HHV8 or chronic inflammation e.g. HCV, H pylori
More varied than Hodgkin’s but LN and systemic symptoms still more important.
Autoimmune (commoner in low grade) or BM infiltration e.g. anaemia
Be sure it’s not carcinoma! Excision biopsy can promote spread. Core biopsy may be acceptable but important to examine architecture.
Start with milder e.g. chlorambucil in low grade
Surgery can also be used for complications e.g. bulky splenomegaly etc.
Monoclonals can occasionally be used.
Indolent lymphomas- curable if caught early but often not, don’t always respond well to chemo (monoclonals in follicular lymphoma). Relapse may occur years later.
Aggressive- symptomatic early on, may be curable with aggressive therapy but relapse often occurs soon after chemo e.g. 2y in diffuse large B cell lymphoma. May or may not be responsive to chemo. Most 5y survival patients cured.