Question

an 85-year-old female was diagnosed with the most common leukemia in adults about fifteen years ago and did not have many symptoms. treatment was not necessary although she had a few doses of steroids. she did have some splenomegaly and complained of fatigue toward the end of life. her peripheral smear showed the appearance of smudge cells and the cbc had peaked at 22,000 leukocytes at most. her cause of death was due to an mi or myocardial infarction. what was the likely leukemia?
a. cll
b. cml
c. all
d. aml

Explanation:

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is the most common leukemia in adults, often has a relatively indolent course (may not need immediate treatment), can present with splenomegaly, fatigue, and smudge cells on peripheral smear. CML (Chronic Myeloid Leukemia) has different features like the Philadelphia chromosome and higher leukocyte counts typically. ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) is more common in children. AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia) is acute and more aggressive, not the most common in adults here. The patient's age, indolent course, smudge cells, and being the most common adult leukemia points to CLL (option A).

Answer:

A. CLL