CBC and peripheral smear are the first tests done; pancytopenia and peripheral blasts suggest acute leukemia. Blast cells in the peripheral smear may approach 90% of white blood cell (WBC) count.

For the peripheral blood smear, a sample of blood is looked at with a microscope. Changes in the numbers and the appearance of different types of blood cells often help diagnose leukemia. Most people with AML have too many immature white cells in their blood, and not enough red blood cells or platelets.

A blood film means taking a sample of your blood to look at under a microscope. This allows the doctors to see if you have any leukaemia cells in your blood, and what they look like. If doctors suspect AML, one of the first things they’ll want to check is whether you have a subtype of AML called APL, which has different treatments.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML): Blood tests of people with AML tend to reveal high levels of immature white blood cells and low levels of red blood cells and platelets. Among the white blood cells, many are myeloblasts, a type of white blood cell that isn’t normally found in healthy blood.