The initial laboratory evaluation of a suspected leukemia requires
a complete blood count (CBC) including a platelet count and an
examination of a peripheral blood smear.
Although the white blood cell count (WBCc) is typically
thought of as being greatly increased in leukemia, the WBCc is
really highly variable, ranging from severe leukopenia to extreme
The platelet count is generally decreased in acute
leukemias, but is often normal in chronic leukemias.
The hematocrit and hemoglobin usually
reflect a normocytic/normochromic anemia.
||This image shows a pair of microcapillary
tubes following spining in a centrifuge. Three distinct layers
can be seen, a red cell layer, a white cell/platelet layer,
and a plasma layer.