Table 1 below compares and contrasts the characteristics of acute and chronic forms of leukemia.
Table 1. Acute and Chronic Forms of Leukemia. | Acute Leukemia | Chronic Leukemia |
Onset | Sudden usually with symptoms
| Slow and long duration sometimes asymptomatic at time of diagnosis |
Age | Adults and children | Mostly found in adults |
Hepatosplenomegaly Lymphadenopathy | Can be found but varies based on age and cell lineage | Common |
Bleeding/Bruising/Other Symptoms | Common Fever common also | Less common |
Cell Maturity | Bone marrow (BM) and Peripheral Blood (PB) cells are more immature >20% blasts in bone marrow or blood are typically found at diagnosis | BM and PB cells are more mature than in Acute |
WBC Count | Elevated | Variable Can range from very elevated to somewhat below normal |
Prognosis | Survival in untreated patients is several weeks to several months
| Survival in untreated patients ranges from several months to many years, depending on type |