Acute Leukemia

In this lecture, Professor Zach Murphy will be presenting on Acute Leukemia. We will begin by differentiating between the two main types of acute leukemia—acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML)—focusing on their distinct cellular origins, epidemiology, and associated risk factors such as genetic mutations, prior chemotherapy, and certain congenital disorders.

We’ll then dive into the pathophysiology, highlighting how disruptions in normal hematopoiesis lead to the rapid proliferation of immature blast cells, crowding out healthy blood cell lines. This will set the stage for a discussion on the clinical manifestations, including anemia, thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, bone pain, and central nervous system involvement in certain subtypes.

From there, we transition into the diagnostic approach, covering key laboratory findings such as pancytopenia and circulating blasts, and essential diagnostic tools like peripheral smear, bone marrow biopsy, flow cytometry, and cytogenetic studies including t(12;21) and t(15;17).Finally, we’ll explore treatment strategies, including the role of chemotherapy protocols like ALL induction regimens and ATRA therapy in APL (a subtype of AML), as well as the use of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in high-risk or relapsed cases. Enjoy the lecture, and please support us below!

0:00 Lab
0:41 Pathophysiology of Acute Leukemia
26:08 Classic Findings of Acute Leukemia
38:26 Complications of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
1:00:38 Complications of Acute Myeloid Leukemia
1:17:18 Diagnostic Approach to Acute Leukemia
1:24:28 Treatment of Acute Leukemia
1:37:31 Comment, Like, SUBSCRIBE!