Diagnosis
The diagnosis of T-Cell Acute lymphoblastic leukemia has different phases we can follow. In the initial phase of the diagnosis, the suspicion is made by looking at different signs and symptoms of the disease. The age of the patient and the symptoms are taken into consideration, and sometimes patients are detected by trying to figure out the cause of a case of fever of unknown origin.
Regardless of the signs and symptoms, the initial laboratory tests include a complete blood count, which shows several alterations, including an excessively high count of white blood cells, anemia, and thrombocytopenia. More alterations in the complete blood count are associated with a poor prognosis.
When the diagnosis is apparent, the next step for diagnosis is performing a bone marrow aspiration or biopsy. A sample is taken from the bone marrow, and it is analyzed through the microscope and with genetic and other specialized tests to find out the subtype of leukemia that is affecting the patient. Other tests are required, depending on the signs and symptoms of the patient and the existence of a given infection. Even if there’s no traceable problem in the kidneys and liver, tests are usually performed to evaluate their function, which will be useful to program a therapeutic protocol.
Another standard test in T-ALL is a lumbar puncture, which is done to obtain a sample of cerebrospinal fluid. This is because lymphoid cells usually enter the central nervous system, and this is more common in T-Cell Acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
After performing all of these tests, doctors will have enough information as to what type of leukemia they are facing and any additional alteration they should cover in treatment protocols.