Evaluation of oral manifestations and head and neck lymphadenopathy in newly diagnosed acute leukemia patients.

OBJECTIVES:To determine the frequency of head and neck lymphadenopathy (LAP) and intraoral findings (non-dental/dental) in patients with newly diagnosed acute leukemia (AL). SUBJECTS AND METHODS:Twenty-eight (52.8%) females and 25 (47.2%) males in a total of 53 patients with newly diagnosed AL with a mean age of 46 years were included in the study. Personal information, the type of AL (AML [acute myelogenous leukemia]/ALL [acute lymphocytic leukemia]), and hematological findings (anemia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia) were obtained from medical records. One of two calibrated oral diagnosis and maxillofacial radiology specialists performed extraoral (head and neck LAPs) and intraoral (non-dental and dental) clinical examinations. The Chi-square (χ2) test was used to evaluate categorical variables. RESULTS:LAP was observed in 22.6% and intraoral findings in 30.2% of the patients. LAP was most commonly observed in the neck and none in the parotid glands. The most intraoral findings were gingival/mucosal bleeding and oral petechiae/ecchymosis. While there was no statistical difference between AML and ALL patients in terms of LAP (p > .05), intraoral findings were observed more in patients with AML (p < .05). Only two (3.8%) patients had dental findings. With a slight difference, intraoral findings were more with thrombocytopenia and LAP with neutropenia. CONCLUSION:In AL, especially non-dental intraoral findings are common. The fact that dentists working in the oral cavity are often the first specialists to encounter the oral manifestations of AL imposes an important role in early diagnosis and treatment.