Diagnosis of leukemia is usually determined after medical consultation and a series of medical analyzes. The following procedures and investigations are commonly used to diagnose leukemia:

Physical examination and medical history– for the analysis of symptoms, radiation exposure level, genetic syndromes, benzene exposure, anti-cancer therapies, haematological conditions or viral infections; the doctor will also analyze the vital signs including skin analysis, palpation of the nodules, verifying the oral cavity to detect any signs of infection, palpation of the abdomen to detect enlarged organs, examining the skeleton to detect sensations or pain;

Full blood count– analysis of the number and quality of white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets;

Biochemical blood tests– the measurement of certain chemical compounds in the blood, which denotes the proper functioning of certain organs and the detection of anomalies; chemical compounds that may be higher in leukemia are: urea nitrogen, creatinine, phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, uric acid;

Coagulation tests– Measures blood clotting factors to see how effective blood can clot; abnormal clotting factors may be found in leukemia, and this category includes the following tests: fibrinogen level, prothrombin time, partially activated thromboplastin time, INR (international normalized ratio);

Cytokine tests– to identify tissues and blood components or bone marrow, possibly carcinogenic; determining the type of cells present;

Immunophenotype tests– the surrounding cells and tissues are visualized by microscope;

Cytogenetic and molecular studies– for the analysis of cellular chromosomes, including number, size, shape, and layout; 

Bone marrow extraction and biopsies– bone marrow cells will be taken to be tested in the laboratory;

Lumbar puncture – A small amount of cerebrospinal fluid from the spinal tooth space is obtained for microscope analysis;

Lymph node biopsy– Excision biopsy, more precisely, the lymph node is completely removed;

Chest radiography– to analyze enlarged lymph nodes in the center of the chest (mediastinal lymph nodes), increased thymus gland, fluid accumulation between the lungs and chest walls (pleural effusion), lung infections or pneumonia;

CT scans– for spleen and liver analysis to detect possible dimensions too, and to check the condition of the lymph nodes around the heart, trachea or back of the abdomen;

MRI – to check if leukemia spread to the brain;

Ultrasound– to analyze internal organs such as kidneys, liver or spleen.