Back to TopExams and Tests
If your doctor suspects
leukemia, he or she will ask about your medical
history. Your doctor also will check for enlarged
lymph
nodes
in your neck, underarm, or groin. He or she will also examine you
to see if your liver or
spleen is enlarged.
Your doctor will order blood tests, such as a complete blood count
(CBC) and a
blood profile. These provide important information
about the cells in your blood. They are used to look into symptoms such as
fatigue, weakness, fever, bruising, or weight loss.
If your blood work points to possible leukemia, your doctor will
want to find out what kind you might have. Different kinds of leukemia need
different kinds of treatment.
Unusual cells,
chromosomes, or proteins on cells can tell what type
of leukemia you have, such as
acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL),
acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), or
chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), or even a subtype.
It is important to know if you have a subtype of a leukemia. Different subtypes
get better with different kinds of treatment.
Your doctor may also order other tests, including:
- Chest X-rays, to find out if leukemia or an infection
is the cause of lung problems such as persistent coughing, coughing up blood,
chest pain, or difficulty breathing.
- CT scan of
the head, chest, and belly, to find out whether leukemia has spread
there.
- Lumbar puncture, to find out whether
leukemia cells are in your
cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
- MRI
of the brain, to look into symptoms such as confusion, paralysis,
numbness, vision problems, vertigo, or headaches. Those symptoms could mean the
leukemia has spread to the brain.
In addition, a
biopsy of a lymph node or other tissues may be done to
look for cancer cells.
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