Pattern of leukemia in patients presenting to a tertiary care hospital from western india: a four-year study in the department of clinical hematology

Background: Leukemia is a heterogeneous group of hematological malignancies originating from hematopoietic cells of the bone marrow and lymphatic system. As treatment and prognosis are different for each type of leukemia, identifying the distribution pattern is crucial for its prompt management.
Objective: This study was aimed to determine the distribution pattern of different types of leukemia among patients presenting to clinical hematology department at a tertiary care hospital of Western India.
Methods: This observational study was conducted over a period of 4 years on 684 patients of all ages presenting with leukemia. Participants were subjected to relevant investigations including bone marrow examination and special tests for hematological malignancies such as flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, karyotyping, and molecular tests.
Results: The most common age group (23.8%) affected was 61-70 years with overall male preponderance(56.7%). The chronic leukemia (59.8%) was commoner than acute leukemia. Overall, chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) was the most common type (29.1%) followed by chronic lymphocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). AML was dominant type among acute leukemia (50.9%), whereas CML was the commonest chronic leukemia (48.7%). In adults, the most common leukemia was CML (34.2%), whereas ALL was the commonest leukemia (66.7%) in children. Leukocytosis, anemia, and thrombocytopenia were among most common hematological abnormalities in various types of leukemia.
Conclusion: Pattern of various types of leukemia was different among adults and children as well as among both genders. Studies from various other regions of the country must be undertaken.