As the disease advances, the patients may have an enlarged spleen, because of the accumulation of the abnormal cells in the spleen. The liver may at times become enlarged. The blood tests may show abnormal counts of all the different types of cells. This happens because the cancerous cells invade the bone marrow as well and prevent it from producing normal blood cells. Because of the low white cell count in the blood, the patient may have frequent infections.
Fever accompanies the infections.
There may also be other symptoms such as unexplained weight loss, fatigue, and night sweats. The low red cell count may cause anemia, and the low platelet count may cause the person to bruise easily. If a patient complains of fatigue and has recurrent infections, and if the spleen is enlarged, the doctor may order several blood tests. During this procedure, a needle is inserted into the bone and a small amount of marrow is withdrawn for microscopic examination. This test will help the physician in identifying the type of leukemia and planning the treatment.