Abstract:
Acute leukemia (AL) is a malignant disease of the bone marrow in which
hematopoietic precursors are arrested in an early stage of development. The
diagnosis of leukemia and lymphomas, beyond morphology, is limited in
low-resource countries including Kenya. Morphological diagnosis includes
Cytological and Histological assessment of blood, bone marrow aspirates and
tissues on suspected Acute leukemia patients. The World Health Organiza-
tion (WHO, 2016) international guidelines on Acute leukemia diagnosis
recommend that cytogenetic analysis, appropriate molecular genetics, Fluo-
rescent in situ Hybridization (FISH) testing, and flow cytometric immu-
no-phenotyping should be done in addition to a morphologic assessment of
Acute Leukemia. In facilities where resources are relatively available, immu-
nophenotypic and genetic features have resulted not only in providing a more
accurate leukemia diagnosis but also in identifying antigens or genes that can
then be targeted for therapy. This article will look at the gaps in the diagnosis of
Acute leukemia in low-resource settings like Kenya and opportunities available
to improve diagnosis.
