Altered leukogram and hematological parameters among leukemia patients

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Background: The incidence of leukemia is increasing in developing countries, particularly in Africa. Cancer-associated inflammation is a significant factor in the improvement and survival of people with cancer. This study aimed to evaluate changes in leukogram and other hematological parameters among leukemia patients in Abuja, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: The study comprised 30 leukemia patients attending the Oncology Department of National Hospital Abuja, Nigeria, from July 2019 to August 2020, and 20 healthy people. Three milliliters of blood was collected from each participant into an ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid bottle and analyzed for full blood and differential counts using the Mythic 22 (Orphee, Switzerland) five-part differential hematology analyzer. CD4 and CD8 T cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. Data analysis was done using IBM-SPSS software, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, version 25.0. T-test was used to compare means between groups, and the significant value was set as P < 0.05. Results: All hematological parameters were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in leukemia patients than those in controls except for monocytes and basophils. In addition, white blood cell count was significantly higher in leukemia patients (13.0 ± 0.57 × 109/L) than that in controls (6.11 ± 1.14 × 109/L) (P < 0.05). CD4 (775.40 ± 82.91 cells/µL) and CD8 counts (634.40 ± 101.43 cells/µL) were significantly higher in controls than those in leukemia patients. Furthermore, CD4/CD8 ratio was significantly higher (P < 0.05) among controls (1.24 ± 0.15) than that in leukemia patients (1.17 ± 0.09). Conclusion: The study found that changes in hematological parameters and leukogram are significantly associated with leukemia. The use of therapies to boost immune response in patients with leukemia is recommended.