Question

1. leukemia is a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow that causes the body to produce abnormally high numbers of white blood cells (wbcs). these cells often do not function properly, which weakens the body’s ability to fight infection. because the bone marrow is overproducing white blood cells, it often produces fewer red blood cells and platelets, leading to fatigue, frequent infections, and easy bruising or bleeding.

two patients visited the clinic with different sets of symptoms. the doctor ordered a complete blood count (cbc) for each patient. review their test results. then use evidence to explain which patient is most likely to have leukemia.

	red blood cells	white blood cells	platelets
patient a	4,200,000 per mm³	42,000 per mm³	160,000 per mm³
patient b	4,800,000 per mm³	9,000 per mm³	185,000 per mm³

patient a symptoms:

• persistent fatigue and weakness
• frequent nosebleeds
• gets sick often with minor infections

patient b symptoms:

• mild headache after exercise
• no unusual bruising or illness

claim:

evidence:

Explanation:

To determine which patient is more likely to have leukemia, we analyze the test results and symptoms against the characteristics of leukemia (overproduction of white blood cells, fewer red blood cells/platelets, and related symptoms like fatigue, infections, bruising/bleeding).

• Patient A's Test Results: White blood cells (WBCs) are 42,000 per mm³, which is far above the normal range (5,000 - 10,000 per mm³). Red blood cells (4,200,000 per mm³) are on the lower end of normal, and platelets (160,000 per mm³) are normal but the WBC count is highly abnormal.
• Patient A's Symptoms: Persistent fatigue (consistent with low red blood cells), frequent nosebleeds (consistent with potential platelet issues or abnormal WBCs affecting blood), and frequent minor infections (consistent with abnormal WBCs not functioning properly to fight infection).
• Patient B's Test Results: All values (red blood cells: 4,800,000 per mm³; WBCs: 9,000 per mm³; platelets: 185,000 per mm³) are within normal ranges.
• Patient B's Symptoms: Mild headache after exercise and no unusual bruising/illness, which are not consistent with leukemia symptoms.

The key evidence is Patient A's abnormally high WBC count (a hallmark of leukemia) and symptoms matching leukemia-related issues, while Patient B's results and symptoms are normal.

Answer:

• Claim: Patient A is most likely to have leukemia.
• Evidence:
• Patient A’s white blood cell count is 42,000 per mm³, which is significantly above the normal range (5,000 - 10,000 per mm³) for WBCs. Leukemia causes overproduction of abnormal WBCs.
• Patient A has symptoms consistent with leukemia: persistent fatigue (likely from lower red blood cell production), frequent nosebleeds (possible from platelet or blood abnormalities), and frequent minor infections (from abnormal WBCs not fighting infection properly).
• Patient B’s blood counts are all within normal ranges, and symptoms (mild headache after exercise, no unusual bruising/illness) do not match leukemia characteristics.