Introduction to Hematologic Malignancies Flashcards
What is the historic difference between leukemia and lymphoma?
Both are malignancies of hematopoietic cells, but leukemias present as cancers of the blood while lymphomas present as tumors of the lymph nodes.
Myeloid tumors are called ______.
extramedullary hematopoietic tumors or granulocytic carcinomas
The same type of hematologic cancers can be solid and/or fluid, for instance ________.
chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) can present as small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), or as both CLL/SLL
Acute means _______ and chronic means ______, loosely.
high grade; low grade
Are there benign hematologic neoplasms?
No, all are malignant with the exception of monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain significance (MGUS).
Why are chromosomal translocations thought to be common in hematologic malignancies?
Because the lymphocytes naturally undergo translocations (the VDJ shuffle); granulocytic translocations are not well understood.
List three viruses and their associated cancers.
Ebstein-Barr virus: Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and Burkitt lymphoma. Human T cell leukemia virus 1 (HTCLV-1): adult T cell leukemia and lymphoma (ATLL). Kaposi sarcoma virus/human herpes simplex virus 8: primary effusion lymphoma.
Lymphoma is _______ than leukemia.
more frequent and deadlier
Myeloid malignancies arise from ______, while lymphoid malignancies arise from ______.
myeloid precursors (granulocytes, erythrocytes, etc.); lymphoid precursors (B cells, NK cells, T cells)
Leukemias can be diagnosed by ________.
gross morphological appearance and/or immunophenotyping
What is myelodysplastic syndrome, and to what malignancy does it often progress?
It is the overproduction and disordered growth (dysplasia) of bone marrow cells that leads to decreased production of other bone marrow lines; it often progresses to AML
What is MPN?
Myeloproliferative neoplasm – a disorder in which too many myeloid cells are made, but in which they are all functional; it rarely progresses to malignancy.
How are non-Hodgkin lymphoma and classical Hodgkin lymphoma different?
Classical Hodgkin lymphoma is a distinct set of B cells called Hodgkin-Reed-Sternberg, while non-Hodgkin lymphoma is any other kind of lymph node malignancy (B cell, T cell, or NK cell)
Although hematologic malignancies can develop anywhere, the most common sites are: ___________.
the bone marrow (for leukemias) and peripheral lymph sites (for lymphocytes)
What are the presenting signs of acute leukemia?
Low platelets (bleeding), low neutrophils (fever, infection), and low RBCs (anemia)
