Q: Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL), is considered a medical emergency as it culminates into high early mortality. It is one of the malignancy where treatment should be started as soon as the diagnosis is suspected due to cytologic and clinical criteria, and definitive (cyto)genetic confirmation is not required. Reason for high mortality in APL is due to

A) Blast crisis 
B) DIC 
C) Liver failure 
D) CVA 
E) Sudden cardiac death 


Answer: B

APL is considered a medical emergency and treatment should get started without cytogenetic diagnosis if  cytologic and clinical criteria is satisfied. The First line of a drug is all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA). The Reason for a high rate of early mortality is usually due to hemorrhage from a characteristic coagulopathy.