MCQ Hematology Answer 19

The most common finding on physical examination at diagnosis is splenomegaly. [ 1] The spleen may be enormous, filling most of the abdomen and presenting a significant clinical problem, or the spleen may be only minimally enlarged. In about 10% of patients, the spleen is neither palpable nor enlarged on splenic scan.

Bone marrow sampling is done to assess cellularity, fibrosis, and cytogenetics.

The Philadelphia chromosome (Ph1) is usually more readily apparent in marrow metaphases than in peripheral blood metaphases; in some cases, it may be mashed and reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR) or fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analyses on blood or marrow aspirates may be necessary to demonstrate the 9;22 translocation.

Category: Hematology MCQs