Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics in Patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at a Specialized Pediatric Institute in Peru, 2017-2022

Abstract

Objective: To describe the clinical-epidemiological characteristics at the time of the diagnosis in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at a specialized pediatric institute in Peru, from 2017 to 2022.

Materials and Methods: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, and retrospective study was conducted. Medical records of patients under 18 years old with a recent confirmed diagnosis of ALL were included. Variables analyzed included sex, age, origin, discharge outcome, hospital stay, signs, symptoms, history of chronic diseases, laboratory findings, and hematological complications. Data were collected through medical record review and processed using STATA v. 16.

Results: Out of 247 medical records, 25 patients who did not meet inclusion criteria were excluded. The study sample consisted of 222 patients. 54.1% of the patients were male, with a median age of 5 years. 64.0% had fever, and 78.8% had pallor. 91.8% of patients had hemoglobin below 11 g/dL, 65.3% had platelets below 50,000/µL, and 13.1% had leukocytosis above 100,000/µL. The most common hematological abnormality was the simultaneous presentation of anemia, thrombocytopenia, and leukocytosis (43.0%).

Conclusion: ALL predominantly occurred in male children and those under 5 years old. A high frequency of hematological alterations such as anemia, thrombocytopenia, and leukocytosis was observed. Clinically, two-thirds of the patients had fever, and nearly three-quarters had pallor. Further studies on the progression of ALL in the Peruvian population are suggested.