Acute myeloid leukaemia tests
This page tells you what happens when you go to your doctor with symptoms that could be due to acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). There is information on
Acute myeloid leukaemia tests
If you have worrying symptoms, you usually begin by seeing your family doctor. Your GP will ask about your general health and symptoms. They will examine you by feeling for swollen organs or glands, and looking for signs of abnormal bleeding. They may also order a blood test.
At the hospital
If your GP suspects that you have leukaemia, they will suggest you go and see a specialist doctor called a haematologist. Haematologists treat diseases of the blood. Your haematologist will ask you to have some tests.
Blood tests are the most important tests for acute leukaemia. A haematologist looks at your blood sample under a microscope to count the different blood cells. You may have X-rays to check your general health.
Bone marrow test
Your specialist may want to check a sample of your bone marrow for signs of leukaemia or other illnesses. In a bone marrow aspiration, the doctor puts a thin needle into the centre of one of your bones, to draw out some of the liquid bone marrow. You will have a local anaesthetic injection first. In a bone marrow biopsy, the doctor uses a slightly larger needle to remove a small amount of bone and marrow together. You usually have an aspiration and biopsy at the same time.
You can view and print the quick guides for all the pages in the Diagnosing AML section.
If you have worrying symptoms, you usually begin by seeing your family doctor. Your GP will examine you and ask about your general health and symptoms. This will include
- What your symptoms are
- When you get them
- Whether anything you do makes them better or worse
Your doctor will examine you by
- Feeling for swollen organs or glands
- Looking for signs of abnormal bleeding
Your GP may also order a blood test.
If your GP suspects that you have leukaemia, they will suggest you go and see a specialist doctor called a haematologist (pronounced heem-at-oll-oh-jist). Haematologists treat diseases of the blood. Your haematologist will ask you to have some tests. These might include
Blood tests are the most important tests for acute leukaemia. Your doctor or nurse takes a small amount of blood from a vein in your arm, using a needle and syringe. They send your blood to the laboratory. A haematologist looks at the sample under a microscope to count the different blood cells. This is called a full blood cell count (FBC).
Many people with AML have a low white blood cell count. If your white count is high, it can be due to a large number of early (immature) white blood cells called blasts.
Your doctor may also do other blood tests to see how well your liver and kidneys are working.
Blood cells grow in your bone marrow. So, your specialist may want to check a sample of your bone marrow for signs of leukaemia or other illnesses. There are 2 different types of bone marrow test. You may hear them called
- Bone marrow aspiration
- Bone marrow biopsy or trephine biopsy
In a bone marrow aspiration, the doctor puts a thin needle into the centre of one of your bones, to draw out some of the liquid bone marrow. Usually, the doctor takes the sample from one of your hip bones. You will have a local anaesthetic injection first.
In a bone marrow biopsy, the doctor uses a slightly larger needle to remove a small amount of bone and marrow together.
You usually have an aspiration and biopsy at the same time. There is information about having a bone marrow test in the 'cancer tests' section of CancerHelp UK.
As well as looking at the bone marrow cells, the haematologist will test for abnormalities in your chromosomes. These tests are called cytogenetics (pronounced sigh-toe gen-et-ics). They will also do tests for particular proteins that some types of leukaemia cells make. This is called immunophenotyping (pronounced imm-you-no-fee-no-typing).
You may have X-rays to check your general health.
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