Initial symptoms can be nonspecific, particularly in children. Over 50% of children with leukemia had one or more of five features: a liver one can feel (64%), a spleen one can feel (61%), pale complexion (54%), fever (53%), and bruising (52%). Additionally, recurrent infections, feeling tired, arm or leg pain, and enlarged lymph nodes can be prominent features. The B symptoms, such as fever, night sweats, and weight loss, are often present as well. Central nervous system (CNS) symptoms such as cranial neuropathies due to meningeal infiltration are identified in less than 10% of adults and less than 5% of children, particularly mature B-cell ALL (Burkitt leukemia) at presentation. The signs and symptoms of ALL are variable and include: * Generalized weakness and feeling tired * Anemia * Dizziness * Headache, vomiting, lethargy, neck stiffness, or cranial nerve palsies (CNS involvement) * Frequent or unexplained fever and infection * Weight loss and/or loss of appetite * Excessive and unexplained bruising * Bone pain, joint pain (caused by the spread of "blast" cells to the surface of the bone or into the joint from the marrow cavity) * Breathlessness * Enlarged lymph nodes, liver, and/or spleen * Pitting edema (swelling) in the lower limbs and/or abdomen * Petechiae, which are tiny red spots or lines in the skin due to low platelet levels * Testicular enlargement * Mediastinal mass
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Aplastic anemia
Acute myeloid leukemia
Infectious mononucleosis
Prolymphocytic leukemia
Lymphoid leukemia
Myeloid leukemia
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia