1 What is the single most important determinant when choosing a treatment using anticancer drugs (chemotherapy) and what is the concept of “risk stratification”? Before embarking on a treatment plan that involves the use of anticancer drugs, every effort should…
1 Internationally there are approximately 300,000 cases of child and adolescent cancer diagnosed annually. What variables exist in childhood cancer incidence and outcome when comparing high-income countries with low-income countries? The difference in high-income versus low-income countries resides in the…
1 Describe the systemic diseases that have hematological manifestations. Almost all systemic conditions can result in some degree of derangement of the hematological system. Conditions associated with inflammation can cause increase in platelets, which are an acute phase reactant, as…
1 Describe the three main pathophysiological mechanisms of aplastic anemia. a. Direct damage to bone marrow i. Typically iatrogenic because of cytotoxic drugs/chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and other myelosuppressive medications. Has also been seen with environmental toxins, including benzene (workplace toxin),…
1 What is pseudothrombocytopenia? Pseudothrombocytopenia, or spurious thrombocytopenia, is a falsely low automated platelet count that occurs secondary to in vitro platelet clumping. This is generally an incidental finding in an otherwise asymptomatic patient and can be confirmed by observation…
1 What are the signs and symptoms suggestive of a defect in neutrophil number or function? The skin and mucous membranes are the first line of defense against infection. Once these barriers are broken, the white blood cells (WBCs), specifically…
1 What is nutritional anemia? Anemia develops when a pathological decrease in the circulating red blood cell (RBC) mass reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood below the physiologic requirements of the body. Anemia is clinically assessed by measuring the hemoglobin…
1 What is thalassemia? Normal hemoglobin (Hb) is a heterodimer of two globins produced as a result of expression of genes from the alpha (α)-globin gene cluster on chromosome 16 and two globins produced as a result of expression of…
1 What is hemolytic anemia? Hemolytic anemia involves disorders originating from either inside the red blood cell (RBC; intrinsic) or outside of the RBC (extrinsic) that cause fragility and premature breakage and clearance of RBC. 2 What is the typical…
1 What is sickle cell disease? Sickle cell disease is an autosomal recessive inherited blood disorder caused by mutation in the ß-globin gene resulting in production of an abnormal hemoglobin (Hb), hemoglobin S (HbS), which polymerizes under deoxygenated conditions leading…