Extramedullary leukemia in children presenting with proptosis
2009

Extramedullary leukemia in children with proptosis

Sample size: 12 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Murthy Ramesh, Vemuganti Geeta K, Honavar Santosh G, Naik Milind, Reddy Vijayanand

Primary Institution: L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India

Hypothesis

Can a peripheral blood smear help diagnose acute myeloid leukemia in children presenting with proptosis?

Conclusion

A peripheral blood smear should be performed in all cases of sudden onset proptosis or an orbital mass in children and young adults.

Supporting Evidence

  • All patients presented with proptosis.
  • A diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia was established by incision biopsy in 4 patients.
  • In 8 patients, diagnosis was established by peripheral blood smear examination alone.

Takeaway

If a child has a bulging eye, doctors should check their blood to see if they have a type of blood cancer called leukemia.

Methodology

A retrospective review of records of patients with orbital manifestations of acute myeloid leukemia.

Limitations

The study is limited to a small sample size and retrospective design.

Participant Demographics

Median age at presentation was 6 years, with a male to female ratio of 0.7:1.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1756-8722-2-4

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