MARKERS OF COAGULATION ACTIVATION IN ACUTE LEUKAEMIA

Abstract

Patients with malignancy present a major clinical challenge in this new era of oncologic awareness and more aggressive care. This has led to prolonged survival for patients and a longer time frame during which these complications may develop. It is thus important to realize alterations of haemostasis existing and to approach them sequentially and logically with respect to diagnosis. Only in this way efficacious therapy can be delivered.

Haemostatic disturbances observed in patients with malignancy are related to changes in vascular function, damage of megakaryocytic system, liver dysfunction, increased fibrinolysis and disseminated coagulation.

The aim of he present work was to identify abnormalities in haemostasis that relate to thrombotic or haemorrhagic manifestation in patients with acute leukaemia .

The work was carried out on fifty patients (30 with AML and 20 with ALL patients). Ten healthy subjects were taken as control group; they were matched by age and sex as patients within the study. Both patients and controls were subjected to the following: